Melody Of Us
by TheShipWeirdo
Summary: Fairy Tail is the most famous boy band in all of Fiore consisting of four extremely gorgeous and young males. But after their recent 'slacking off', their manager, Hilda, decides to send them to the most strict private school in the country for them to mend their ways for their biggest record deal yet. What awaits these young lads here at Magnolia High? AU [GrayZa, NaLu, LyVia]
1. 1: A Night Gone Wrong

**A/N: And here is the story I mentioned about earlier :V I am actually quite excited about this one, and yes, I know I need to complete my other ones but tomorrow I'm updating both Breaking Through Her Walls and The Different Love Interests Of Gray Fullbuster! Exciting, isn't it? Um... okay... maybe not... ANYWAYS so I'm pretty sure that this plot line is ****_extremely_**** overused and all, but I always wanted to write stories where the girl meets the guy of a famous boy band (in this case, plural) and they fall in love and blah blah blah usual cliche stuff. Yes, this is also going to be extremely cliche, but I hope to add some twists and make it my own :) Oh, and, in case you don't know; MAJOR GRAYZA STORY RIGHT HERE! There will be plenty of side pairings, including NaLu and LyVia. The other's I'll make by as the story goes on, and... yeah... No OCs because I don't exactly like the idea of an OC with an existing character :/ So... yup!**

**I already have some stuff planned out in my mind, including a few twists in the love lives of the FT characters. And isn't it cool how Fairy Tail is their band name? xD That's probably overused too but, oh well! I just didn't want to name their school Fairy High since its supposed to be all strict and the name 'fairy' doesn't seem all that serious and all to me. Magnolia High doesn't sound that strict either, but I ran out of names. So yeah, really excited about this one! And I hope you all like it as well :) This is the very first chapter and any kind of criticism is appreciated. Thank you!**

.

.

.

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not owned by me.**

.

.

.

**Chapter One: A Night Gone Wrong**

The music was loud, the room was crowded, everyone was drunk, and Gray Fullbuster's sight was completely blurred. He'd had so much of alcohol that he wasn't in his right senses… _at all._ In fact, he didn't even notice when a random girl – wearing an extremely short miniskirt, may I add – walked towards him and jumped in his lap, whispering some things he couldn't catch in his ear, definitely trying hard to be seductive. This would've been a major turn-off for Gray, but since he was just so drunk at that moment, he didn't even know what he was doing. And he regretted that right the next morning.

Out of all the people in the party, he was the one to wake up first. And thank God for that, because he knew that the rest of the boys wouldn't know what to do in this position. Thanks to his quick thinking, Gray didn't waste a minute getting off the bed, wearing his shirt, and covering the half-naked girl on the bed before leaving the room.

The first thing he did when he was out was go to look for the boys. It was hard to remember just where they were, because the previous night was a complete blur and he couldn't even remember when the party started. But he didn't try hard, because that would just make the hangover a lot worse. When down the stairs, Gray spotted a bundle of pink behind the couch and immediately knew who it was. Carefully, he tiptoed his way there to block the empty bottles which were all around the floor to not break them. Once there, the figure with pink hair was found to be asleep, as expected, and sprawled on the floor. Gray gave him a small nudge, and when he still didn't wake up, kicked him hard for his head to bump against the leg of the couch nearby. The young boy immediately opened his eyes and started rubbing the corner of his forehead where he'd been hit. It didn't take him long to spot his raven haired teammate sitting nearby.

"Natsu," Gray hissed, "Get up, you moron."

"Gray?" The boy wasn't fully awake yet; maybe that was why it took him a bit long to understand what had just happened. But when he did, his eyes widened as he cursed to himself, "Oh shit, Hilda is so going to kill us."

"Now you realize?" The raven hair was obviously annoyed, and after waking up one of his friends, he left to look for the other two. He knew his one womanizer of a teammate would definitely be in a room, sleeping with someone. If he tried to remember, then Loke had left with someone not more than fifteen minutes of when the party had started. He even was the one to come up with the idea and pursue the others.

After checking the fifth room in a row, he finally saw the orange haired boy who was responsible for all of this. He was asleep, as expected, and with an unknown girl sleeping soundly beside him, same like Gray's position. Careful not to wake the female beside him, Gray went over to Loke and shook him awake before leaving for the last hunt, noting that he was awake and would now probably get down to help Natsu clean the mess.

Going over to the washroom at the very end of the hall, Gray opened it only to find his white haired teammate and cousin sprawled asleep on the floor. He had no idea how he got here, but Lyon Vastia always seemed to end up in positions like these whenever the team had parties which got out of hand. Now, waking him up, Gray Fullbuster set off for downstairs, with the boy trailing behind. Even though cousins, they had different surnames, and that was because Lyon was related to him _maternally._

Once both of the boys finally reached their destination, they started to clean up to give a hand to the rest. At times like these was when Gray absolutely hated their extremely large penthouses. But being the most famous boy band in all of Fiore, and the current musical sensation, that wasn't something that could be helped. They were the current teenage heartthrobs, and also every girl's dream. It wasn't surprising that young women gave them their private belongings at signings, and it wasn't surprising that they couldn't even hear their own voice in concerts sometimes because of the fans' extreme screaming, even though with microphones attached to themselves. None of it was surprising, and they were supposed to be used to all of it by now. And they were… slightly.

"Okay, this is taking way longer than I expected," Loke spoke suddenly, breaking the silence _and_ everyone's attention from their work.

"Did you even expect this?" Lyon retorted, "I doubt you thought twice before setting up the party."

"Hey! You all agreed, okay? Don't try to make it my fault and mine alone!" The boy defended himself, still doing his work. None of them could afford to stop right now, especially if they wanted to clean all the mess before a certain extremely scary manager came up to find out what happened behind her back. They didn't even check the time; they were afraid of how less time they had in hand since Hilda arrived every morning at seven thirty a.m.

"He is right," Gray spoke, "We all agreed to this so this is our entire fault, not Loke's only."

For a minute, the orange hair thought about sticking it up to his teammate who had previously insulted him, but then quickly dismissed the thought since they had plenty of work left. No matter how much they fought with each other, they feared their manager even more, and none of them would want her to know about their recklessness.

"How long do we have since she comes anyways?" Natsu asked, all of a sudden. But right after, he, along with everyone else, regretted that. Because no sooner than those words left his mouth, the door opened as a gray haired woman came walking, her eyes turning wide as she screamed.

xxx

They were all seated down on the long couch in her office as she paced around the room. Her eyes face the floor, and she was waiting for someone to come with the reports. They didn't dare ask about what their punishment would be. Because ever since Hilda had discovered what they did, she didn't speak a single word to them, minus the screaming. Instead, she got people to come over and clean up the place as she told them to meet her five hours later in her office, and there they were. Her not talking only made the situation scarier than it was ought to be, and none of them were prepared for what came next when the door opened. Someone quickly handed her some files and whispered in her ear before she nodded and discharged him. Then, the woman made her way to her chair as she sat down and arranged the files. They held their breaths as she cleared her throat before speaking.

"I believe you all are aware of just how disappointed I am in each and every one of you," she started, "and so is the rest of the team. This recent schedule you boys have made has been affecting the reputation of the band, and this cannot keep going on. You do know that you are yet to have your biggest record deal yet, once that will make you even more well-known than you are right now. The label has taken a huge interest in us, and if this deal works then things will go even better than they are right now. You boys are still on the rise, and you've only had two albums released and three tours around close areas. You still have much far to go, and this deal can really help in that. I know that you are all aware of it, but still you are being so reckless lately. May I know the reason for that?"

Her tone was quiet, yet deadly and professional. None of them dared to speak, but when she raised her eyebrows in a way that sent shivers through their spines, they got the sign that at least one had to answer. So Gray took the risk, "Um… actually… we are still… um, we are still adjusting… with the fame and all, you know. Like… we are, um, getting used to it. And this is how we used to be before it all so… it's taking some time for us to, like, get used to all this serious stuff."

"But you should know that this isn't a time for you to be 'getting used to' things. You all need to take on a much more organized route, and it doesn't seem like that will happen anytime soon. Which is why I have decided something everyone else agrees to." And there it was; their punishment. They all expected the worse of the worse, but they definitely didn't expect what was about to happen.

"I'd like all of you to mend your ways, and I have decided just how for you to do that. There is a private school in Magnolia, called the Magnolia High School. It is a strict and punctual school which mostly helps for students to get in the right track of their future. I am in good forms with Mr. Makarov Dreyar, the principal of the school, and we've adjusted some things in there for you all to go to. Yes, you will be going to this school for six months, and we are going to see if your attitude is better or not. If it is, then great. We are going to continue the work and hope for the label to sign their deal with us. If, however, you don't show any improvement, then the team is not going to work with you anymore. This has been our back-up since you started your mistakes, and this is the final action we are taking."

It took them a while to register her words, but when they did, they all started going at it, protesting that none of the team could do such a thing to them.

"This is so not fair!"

"Are you serious? Away for six months?"

"No! This is absurd, I reject to it."

"I cannot believe you all decided _this_! I will not do such a thing, no."

"What about the fans? What happens when they find out?"

"They will definitely find out! And what about us adjusting in there? People will be after us 24/7."

"This is sudden, and totally unfair!"

"Say something for God's sake!"

The woman only smiled at their actions, before smirking, "Good Luck."

* * *

**Ta-Da! There it ends :) Whatcha think? Good or bad? Interesting or boring? Cliche or unique? Tell me by leaving reviews! And I really didn't know what else to name the story so... yeah...**

**I am also crying right now :'( This is 1,812 words, my highest so far! Isn't that just awesome? I think it is :V I hope to increase the words as the chapters go by :)**

**P.S. The cover isn't what I had in mind, but it's slightly close. What do you guys think of it?**


	2. 2: The Fairy Tail Boys

**A/N: And here we have yet another update! I want to say thank you to all of you for the positive feedback :) I updated because... I don't know, I was just in the mood, I guess? Well, I'm trying to update my stories as much as I can before school starts :'( Why is it already august? Well, anyways. I'm going to update the other ones after some while, but here is the update of Melody Of Us! Ugh, I still don't like the name. Maybe I should change it... but I can't find a good one. Anyways, in this chapter you can know a lot about the boys :) Obviously, Juvia is like one of those crazy fangirls xD And Lucy, being the new one, is always behind on the gossip. But... yeah...**

**If you notice carefully, then you'll see a huge shocker which is kind of the main twist in Gray and Erza's relationship. I won't reveal it yet, you'll find out. But just to tell you; that twist is not going to be active until future chapters. And I've already decided problems for all of their love lives. Yesh, they are going to have complicating relationships :D I just love putting complications and all, so yup!**

**The main pairings for now are GrayZa, NaLu, and LyVia, but I'm thinking of putting side pairings. GaLe is going to one of them since they are just so adorable, though Gajeel is not going to be shown yet. And in case you haven't guessed, Lisanna is going to be in here for Natsu and Lucy's relationship, hehe. I'm trying to put as many characters of Fairy Tail as I can. And if I need any new characters, I'll use an existing one since I'm not fond of OCs :/ But I've mentioned that already.**

**ANYWAYS, enough of all that! You can now enjoy the new update :) And I've decided to not do the disclaimer after the first chapter. C'mon, everyone knows that I am not Hiro Mashima and FT is not mine.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Two: The Fairy Tail Boys**

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!" the extreme screaming of a certain blue haired girl was something that would be heard by thousands of people in their school, but today, it could be ignored. That was because everyone in Magnolia High, including the teachers, was excited about the arrival of the celebrities. Even the guards had their uniforms washed and ironed and especially ready for this day. Of course, if an international boy band was coming to your school for six months, you would be excited beyond belief. And the blue haired Juvia Lockser, who is always in a positive mood, had her excitement overloaded today.

"Can you believe it? Can you guys just _believe it?_ I know I can't! This has to be a dream! This is a dream, isn't it?" Juvia didn't even bother to keep her voice down, but her friends whom she was walking with most definitely wanted her to. Except for a certain blonde, who was oblivious to what she was talking about. It was always a shock to how unique their group was; the obsessive stalker, the strict head girl, the bookworm, the too-likeable student, and the new girl. Unusual, but they all got along well.

"I know this is a bit late to ask and also stupid of me. I just didn't ask before because I thought I would be… well, made fun of. But everyone is talking about this and I don't want to be the only one who didn't know. So… um, who are coming exactly?" Practically everyone stopped walking and stared at the blonde who had asked such a question. They weren't mad or anything, just a bit surprised that she didn't ask before. They were friends, and friends are the ones you can rely on to for anything, right?

But all of their thoughts were cut off when the extremely excited Juvia ignored that and started explaining it all to the one who was behind on the conversation, making everyone else groan in annoyance. They loved their friend, but her excitement was sometimes just too much to take. "Oh my, Lucy! I've been dying to explain this to someone, and I didn't find such a person since everyone either knew or were not interested. And then finally, there's you! How could I not guess before?"

The young blonde simply smiled. As a matter of fact, she _was_ interested to know what the big fuss was about. It was surprising that Lucy Heartfilia, the heiress of Heartfilia Enterprises, was left behind on the gossip. But then again, ever since a young child, she didn't have a good amount of friends who could share such things with her, until now.

"Okay, so," the blunette started, trying hard to control her excitement but obviously failing at it, "I think you at least know that a famous boy band is coming?"

The blonde nodded. She was behind on the gossip, but she wasn't _that_ far. The past few days she had learned, though with difficulty, that a famous music band of all-boys was about to come. She had also heard that they were young and extremely good-looking, thus the reason of more excitement from the females. "I know their name is 'Fairy Tail', and that they have four members."

"That's great! Now I can continue. I suppose you don't know about them thoroughly?" A shake of her head caused the blue haired Juvia Lockser to continue, as she explained about her most famous band to her friend, obviously fangirling. "Okay then, Fairy Tail is the band made by four boys who are childhood friends. They are, like, _the_ musical sensation right now. You remember that one song which was played on the radio once and you thought it had a good tune? That was done by them! I didn't know why I didn't tell you back then, but let's just continue! So they have four members; Gray, Natsu, Lyon, and Loke! Lyon Vastia is the one who plays the keyboard, and he's also Gray's maternal cousin. Lyon has white hair and black eyes, and he's just oh-so-dreamy! Next is Loke, who is the lead guitarist. Loke is orange haired, hazel eyed, and he is also known as a womanizer. He's extremely charming, I must say. Then we have Natsu Dragneel! Natsu plays the drums, and he's slightly idiotic. Natsu's eye color is black, and his hair color is pink."

Lucy snickered at the mention of pink hair, before asking, "Pink? Why pink? Pink is just so… girly. And he's a guy, right? He shouldn't have such a color as pink for his hair."

For a minute, the girl who was explaining this to her seemed a bit annoyed, but shrug it off and smiled. Meanwhile, the bookworm Levy McGarden started laughing along with Mirajane Strauss, and the strict Erza Scarlet just smirked. Juvia didn't mind, and simply continued, "Well, we don't know why it's pink, but we do know it's his natural hair color. He didn't dye it or anything, so we could say it's not his fault."

Lucy nodded, understanding that it wasn't the boy's fault that his hair was of such a color naturally. Seeing this, Juvia continued with her explaining. "And then, at last, is the amazing Gray Fullbuster! He is the lead singer, and he's just so awesome! He has raven colored hair, and dark blue eyes. He is my favorite out of all of them, and his voice is just so… so… well, so great! He looks so good, and he's so nice, and he has such a good body, and he's just so sweet, and he's so charming, and he's so amazing, and he's so–"

"Engaged," the scarlet haired Erza cut off her friend, as she glared at her. Smirking, she turned to her blonde friend who was listening carefully. "And he's just so engaged. Juvia doesn't even have a chance, because her amazing Gray Fullbuster is engaged to an even more amazing actress who has been his best friend since childhood. His deceased mother, Ur, got them engaged, and they love each other. Even I know that, so obviously Juvia doesn't have a chance."

Lucy nodded at her friend's words. If this was coming from Erza, then it must be true, because the head girl of Magnolia High wasn't ever interested in gossip. But if she did say a thing or two about it, then it was definitely a fact, or would be one. So with that being said, if Erza believed Juvia didn't have a chance with Gray Fullbuster, then she didn't.

"You're so mean, Erza."

"But you know it's true."

"Actually," Levy spoke, "it _is_ true. But since the boys are going to be coming here for six whole months, one can try, you know."

"Yes," Mirajane agreed, "Juvia can still try to see if she has a chance. But you can't Levy. Because in case you've forgotten; you already have an amazing boyfriend named Gajeel Redfox who loves you more than anything else." The girl let out a slight groan, but it quickly turned into a deep blush. Everyone knew that Levy and Gajeel were the best couple there ever was… well, for their school, at least.

Seeing the flushed face of her friend, Lucy couldn't help but chuckle. But soon the laughter died down when people ran across them, pushing everyone in sight. It was like everyone was running towards something in madness, and they were all confused. It wasn't until a loud scream from some girl came that they understood.

"Fairy Tail is here!"


	3. 3: A Chance To Win

**A/N: I meant to update long ago, but I was stuck in a part so I couldn't :/ But here it is now! :V I hope you're all happy :) Oh and, yesh Gray is engaged xD And who is the actress? Hmm, I won't reveal it yet xD But feel free to guess! Even though I won't tell you if you're correct or not ;)**

**Since this story is my first priority for now, I'm putting the others on hold. Sorry :/ But I want to go as far as I can with this. Right now I don't really have time; just wanted to post this chapter quickly before I need to go. I'm not being able to respond to reviews, but I'll do that next chapter :) For now, I just want to thank you all for reading, supporting, reviewing.**

**So I really need to go now, which is why I won't say much. This chapter ends at ****_kind of_**** a cliffhanger. Kind of. Well, anyways. Hope you enjoy!**

**P.S. NaLu next chapter ;)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Three: A Chance To Win**

Boring.

That was the one word Natsu Dragneel could use for the situation he was in right now. It may seem rude, but he was not to be blamed. The same thing they were being told right now was heard five times before they left for the flight and three times after their plane landed, not including this one from the principal. In fact, it was quite a coincidence that every single person who gave them this speech used the _exact_ same words. Amusing, but now he just grew tired of it. The only reason Natsu wasn't asleep by now was because of the occasional discreet punches gave to him by his teammates, Gray and Loke, since they were the ones beside him. And after what seemed like hours, the principal was finally done and that was when Natsu's face lit up. He just hoped that this was the end of all the speeches.

"We understand, sir. We won't cause you any problems," Lyon told the old man, showing him his pearly whites and giving him a charming smile which makes everyone forgive them instantly. Normally, Natsu would snicker to his sucking up, but at this stage, he knew they needed to charm all the teachers to go through _hell._ Yes, they had officially called this time-being 'six months in hell', because none of them wanted to be here.

"Good," the man nodded. "I do believe you've missed a few periods, but those are being forgiven because we were told you would come at such a time. But for other days, we will not excuse this. We are providing a car for your transport to leave the school and reach the hotel. I believe you've got your schedule, and right now it is lunch so I suggest you go to the cafeteria. I also think you have received the map of the campus by now, so feel free to explore. That is all I'd like to say for now." And with that being said, the four boys didn't waste a second getting out of the office.

xxx

"I am bored."

"We all are," a voice replied.

"Then why isn't anyone doing anything?"

"Because there's nothing to do," another voice came up.

"Of course there is."

"No, there isn't. All we can do is stay quiet," a voice repeated.

"I've had enough!" A loud slam was heard on the table, causing everyone to give them the attention. But it wasn't like they didn't have the attention from before. "We should play a game!"

"Yes, I have one! Why don't we play the quiet game?" A certain raven haired boy said in an extremely sarcastic tone, earning a glare from his pink haired teammate.

"Why don't we play 'Truth or Dare'?" Loke suggested. "It _is_ getting boring, what else do we have to do?"

"Yes!" screaming in delight, Natsu agreed, not being able to control the excitement. "I'll start. Loke, truth or dare?"

"Dare, otherwise my manliness will be doubted." That earned him two snickers and a groan before a voice continued.

"Okay, so I dare you to hit on the first girl that walks through the door next."

"Oh come one," Lyon started, "That is just _so_ easy for him. Give him something like–" The boy was cut short when he noticed the cafeteria door open and five beautiful women come in. But out of them all, it was a certain blue haired girl who caught his attention.

She wore a simple winter hat and kept her hair flowing. Those luscious locks were what caught Lyon's attention the most, and he couldn't find himself to not look more. Her dress wasn't fancy either; in fact, it was a plain brown full-sleeved top that went till her knees, with some black leggings and shoes. He was amazed at how someone could look so beautiful in something just so simple, for which he couldn't help but stare. Loke had also taken an interest in one of the girls, and it was the charming blonde who had walked in. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing a sleeveless dark pink top and a short black skirt with brown boots. Loke simply smirked, and chose her to be his perfect victim for the dare. He even considered her being his first affair in here, since he would just get bored without a few love interests.

With that being said, he set off towards them, smirking. Lyon just hoped he didn't choose to hit on the girl he had taken an interest in, while Natsu kept on muttering that he couldn't do it. And Gray? Well, he didn't care at all. All he hoped was for them to not do anything stupid. It would've been much better for him if he just sat quietly till lunch ended, but his overly hyper pink haired friend would never allow that. And _that_… was a fact.

"Hi," Loke said to the blonde once he was in front of her. The girl was obviously surprised, since her eyes widened and she didn't know what to say. However, her friends were even more surprised, especially a certain blunette. "The name's Loke, I don't think we've met."

Gaining all the courage in her, the girl shook his outstretched hands as she stuttered. "Lu-Lucy."

"Ah, beautiful name," he told her, sending a small wink in her direction. It was then he noticed one of her friends who looked like she was almost about to faint. "And who is this beautiful lady right here?"

The girl, now even more wide-eyed tried her best to answer. "J-Juvia L-L-Lockser."

"Well, nice to meet you Juvia Lockser." He sent her a smile, and Juvia almost melted.

"C-C-Can I have an a-autograph?"

"An autograph?" Loke couldn't help but chuckle. Of course, this was normal to them, but it was something they got a lot. And since this girl looked interesting, he decided to tease her a bit. And so he said before giving her a wink, "I've got something much better to give you. How about a kiss? Would you like that?"

And that was her breaking point.

xxx

A lot of sound woke her up. It was like a bunch of people were gossiping and she only heard muffled words. But she blinked some while before opening her eyes properly.

"She's awake!" A worried Mirajane, with an angry Erza and excited Lucy and Levy came up to her as she sat up.

"What happened?" Juvia couldn't remember much, she didn't even know where she was. She took in her surroundings; it seemed way too close to the room of the nurse. She wasn't even sick, so why was she sat up on a bed in here?

"You don't remember?" Erza asked her, and upon shaking her head, Lucy and Levy squealed.

"Oh my God, Juvia!" Lucy told her, "Your dreams have come true!"

"My… dreams?" This made the girl even more confused about what her friend was talking about. Which dreams? And how have they come true?

"You fainted when Loke came up to talk to you," Levy told her. Now that she looked back, she remembered that the famous member of the band _did_ come and talk to her, and she had fainted. She just hoped she didn't make a fool out of herself. If she did, then how would she ever have a chance with Gray?

"And," she continued, "when you did, _Gray Fullbuster carried you bridal style to here!_"

"What?!" The girl could barely believe the words of her friend. Gray Fullbuster? _The_ Gray Fullbuster? Why on earth would he do that for someone like her? "Are you being serious now, Levy?"

"Damn serious!" the girl replied. It was pretty obvious she was excited about this. "He asked where the nurse's room was, and he carried you in here with the other boys trailing behind. Oh my, Juvia! Now you might finally have a chance with him!"

And she really believed she did. She could finally get her dream guy! However, a certain scarlet haired girl didn't seem too pleased, and she had reasons of her own for that.


	4. 4: What Do I Do Now?

**A/N: Ta-da! Surprisingly early update, but oh well! I hope you guys like it :) This one has NaLu in it, and the next one will too. That's because I find them way too adorable! Oh and, THANK YOU for supporting this story. I really like the fact that you are all enjoying my writing :) No more blabbing now, but I'll give some shoutouts xD**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Hehe, I won't reveal it yet ;) But yup, poor thing. She really is in looooove with Gray :P And why isn't Erza happy? I'll reveal it later ;)**

**BitterMondays: Yeah, he slept with someone xD I wonder what his fiance will think when she hears of this?**

**AshNa 6: Yesh, kind of a long wait, but she's really important in the story.**

**LaynieCakes: When I saw you review, I was screaming so much, I even scared my sister a little O.o But omg! You are one of my favorite writers in here :V Glad you like it! And I got the eye colors from fairy tail wikia, but I guess they were wrong. Thanks for mentioning though! I'll keep it in mind if I mention them later.**

**mcFinnian: Mhm, and thanks! I really like Lyon, so glad his character was put up nicely :)**

** : Thanks so much for supporting :V And hehe, maybe she just is ;)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Four: What Do I Do Now?**

Juvia Lockser never dressed to impress. It was mostly because she didn't need to; since the guys she fell for were out of her league and she would never meet them, like Gray. But this time, she was lucky enough to meet him and wouldn't let this chance go by. He carried her to the nurse for her safety, which meant he cared for her even a tad little bit, right? Of course he did… that's what she wanted to believe, at least.

The plan was extremely simple; Lucy would go in her place and ask Gray out on a date for Juvia, while Juvia and the others went shopping to get her ready for her 'special night'. They were all sure that he'd agree, except for Erza Scarlet who told them to stop dreaming. She didn't even help Juvia get ready, and even though it was because she had work to do as the student council president, Juvia still got a little hurt that one of her friends was missing. However, they soon shrug it off and replaced it with the excitement for tonight.

Lucy Heartfilia, however, was in a much more different problem. Juvia being a crazy obsessed fan had somehow gotten her the address of the hotel they were staying at, but Lucy still didn't know how to approach them. Sure, she talked to Loke, one of the band members, but it wasn't much. The only reason she didn't reject Juvia was because she was too excited and she didn't want to crush her dreams. Sighing, Lucy stepped out the elevator to the floor where their rooms supposedly were.

As she walked down the hallways for a while, a door suddenly opened as a pink haired boy came out; locking the room he was in. Lucy recognized him as Natsu Dragneel, the apparent drummer of Fairy Tail. _Perfect,_ she thought to herself, smiling in delight. As Lucy approached him, he looked up from what she was doing to study her.

In Natsu's mind, he found her fairly cute. With her hair let down, a single sleeved dark blue top, some denim jeans and sneakers. She looked different, and a bit simple, which was usually the kind of girls he went for.

"Hi," Lucy said, smiling, one which he returned. "I'm Lucy."

"Natsu," he replied, holding out his hand which she lightly shook. "I believe I saw you at the nurse today, when that blue chick fainted?"

Lucy was slightly offended that he referred to her friend as 'the blue chick', since Juvia was much more than that. _Is she sure she wants someone who is friends with such people who don't even treat her with respect?_ But then, she thought that maybe he didn't know her name which is why he referred to her as that. She, herself, did that on more than one occasion, so she shrug it off with a smile. "Yes, and her name Juvia."

"Ah, so I see," he nodded. "We're sorry if we caused you all any problems."

"Oh, no no," Lucy explained, "Juvia is just… well, she's Juvia. She gets too hyper about things so it's not a big shock of what happened. But I don't believe this is the first time you've handled with girls fainting. I mean, you guys are so famous so you might have plenty of fans like her."

A small chuckle was heard from Natsu. In fact, they did have plenty of such fans. When the very first time someone had fainted seeing them, they were extremely worried. But then it slowly started to be something humorous. It didn't mean that they didn't get the girls to a hospital or nurse, though. They always checked and took care of their health, because their fans were their first priority. "Yes, not the first time. But you know, fans like her are the ones who encourage us to go further with this because they just like us so much."

Lucy simply nodded and sent him a small smile. _This Natsu guy is actually turning out to be pretty nice,_ she thought. At first, she didn't have a really good impression on him, but now she realized he was someone who she could definitely be friends with. Now that she studied him properly, she noticed he wasn't bad looking either. He was wearing a black jacket which was completely buttoned up, along with a scarf. He has ripped jeans and a pair of converse, and the whole outfit really made him look good. She smiled to herself, thinking that maybe these guys were a lot like Juvia had mentioned; sweet and charming.

"How are you enjoying the school so far?" Lucy asked, all of a sudden. She thought that maybe being friends with them wasn't all that bad, and she also got an opportunity to know celebrities, so why not?

Natsu smiled at her. He was actually starting to enjoy this place, since a lot of people were nice to them and not just asking for autographs. He had made a good amount of friends in his classes, and knew them well too now. "I am enjoying it, surprisingly. We all labeled this period of time as 'six months in hell', but it seems like this won't be too much of a hell after all."

It was a surprise to both of them that she laughed. She was supposed to be a bit mad, but she wasn't. She actually enjoyed Natsu's company, and tried to put herself in his shoes and saw that she would have the same thoughts then. Natsu was fairly pleased with himself that he could make such a beautiful girl laugh, so he joined in too. But a while later, a question bugged him.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking; why were you here anyways?"

Now Lucy thought of getting back in business, when she smiled. "I was actually here to ask someone out on a date."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and I was lucky I met you. Or else I'm pretty sure I'd have to search a lot, since I'm not all that good with directions."

Natsu thought she was a bit too straightforward, but he shrug it off. She was kind of his type, so why not? "Okay then, when and where?"

"Café Aimer, 8pm tomorrow."

"Great," he smiled. "I'll see you there then, I guess?"

_Wait, what?_ Now that Lucy heard his words carefully, she realized what he meant. _Oh God, he thinks I'm asking him out! No, this is not how it should be! I should be asking Gray for Juvia, oh my God! What do I do?_

"Listen," he began, "Right now I have to go since the boys are waiting. We are getting to our rehearsal, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He didn't even wait for a reply before sprinting off, leaving Lucy dumbfounded. She was supposed to ask out his friend for her friend, but it seems like she had got _herself_ into a date.

_What do I do now?_


	5. 5: A Dream, A Problem, A Meeting

**A/N: :V I updated! Wow, I'm pretty surprised myself xD But yeah... I actually like this chapter since it focuses on all three of the love lives, you know. Well, not really but it kind of does. It shows three of them so... that counts for something?**

**I know what most of you were expecting, and on this chapter you'll find out that's not exactly all that true... so it might come as kind of a disappointment :/ But when you read that part and know about it, I just want to say that I didn't make the obvious because it's just too early in their relationship. I'll probably put it, but maybe I won't. The plot is already a little cliche, so I don't want to make it anymore. Oh and, I did mention there will be NaLu in this chapter, but then I changed it in the middle of the writing. I like this version more than what I wrote, but the date will come soon enough. I'm actually having kind of a writer's block on what to write about it :S If you could help out, it would be great. I'm still trying to decide on what to write, since every time I think about something, I either don't know how to put it in words or find it too... well, ****_off._**** I just don't know. I guess I want to start the NaLu fluffyness, but how so? Yeah, I suck :/ But I'll get over it soon (hopefully) and update! For now, just enjoy this :)**

**P.S. Just wanted to point out that I NEVER proofread. If I ever do, I am going to be extremely proud of myself and I'll probably scream it out to the whole wide world, and put it on caps lock in here xD So yes, there might be mistakes because of that, but I really hope you bear with me. Also, I noticed my writing is kind of too... fast, I guess? It just progresses too quickly, I think, so I'll try my best to make it more detailed and go sloooooowly. But I know I'm going a bit slow because otherwise by now you would already know who Gray's fiance is, the NaLu complication, and the start of LyVia :P But am I giving spoilers? Hopefully not xD**

**Oh and, to bella-romeo: THANK YOU :V I really had trouble writing that, since I wanted them to have a nice intro, but it was fun at the same time :) Glad you like it and here's the update! And to LaynieCakes: YESH! I'm, like, your biggest fan... but everyone always says that to everyone xP And hehe, glad you liked the NaLu part!**

**And now, without further ado, you might read the actual chapter :P**

.

.

.

**Chapter Five: A Dream, A Problem, A Meeting**

Juvia Lockser dreamt a lot. She had plenty of dreams, goals, ambitions, things which she most definitely wanted to achieve in her life. She wanted her dreams to come true, and Gray Fullbuster was one of her dreams. It may seem like a crazy wish of a fan, but to her; it was something much, much more. Juvia was like one of the girls who believed in true love and wanted their own fairytale ending. She believed that every person was made for someone, and Gray was made for her. Even before he came into her school, she was determined to meet him, maybe someday. But now that she had the opportunity, she would make the best out of it. And that is why she asked one of her best friends, Lucy, to help her out. She knew she wouldn't be able to ask Gray properly herself, and would need plenty of practice. So while she got ready, Lucy would get her into the date so that when the time comes, everything is perfect. She knew she wanted this, and she _would_ have it. After all, when Juvia Locker _really_ wanted something, she would prepare it to perfection.

But it was different for her friend.

xxx

Lucy Heartfilia always loved to help people out. She cared for her friends, and if they asked her a favor, she wouldn't hesitate. This time, however, she did. Asking out a famous band member for her friend? That had to be tough. But since she loved her friend and wanted her to be happy, she just couldn't refuse. But now she wished she did. Because it had turned out that instead of getting a date for her friend with Gray, she got herself into a date with Natsu! And now, in times of panic, she went to her best friend who she believed could solve her problem; Levy McGarden.

"Oh… wow… um, a bit weird but… this is just… wow." The blunette was at a loss for words, since her friend's situation seemed pretty unbelievable, but then obvious at the same time. Unbelievable because this was a celebrity they were talking about and obvious because no matter what, Lucy _was_ pretty and she also _did_ have the charms. However, even though Levy helped her friend at times of panic a lot, she didn't really know what to do now. "Um, so you didn't get his number?"

The poor blonde sighed, before shaking her head, "No, he was pretty much in a rush. But I don't think I would've been able to anyway, I was just too much in shock."

"Hm," Levy nodded, "And you didn't find Gray after he left?"

"He mentioned something about all of them going for a rehearsal or something, so when I went back to the front desk, I was told they have just left and will be back really late. I couldn't afford to waste so much time, so I came back home. And it's not like I can ask them at school today because it's just the start of the weekend."

"Oh, right," Levy told her, and it was then she realized how much of a problem Lucy was in. Even she knew how excited Juvia was about this, and she even had an appointment in the hair salon. Also, yesterday they spent hours scrolling through in high-class shops – where they went for the first time ever – looking for her perfect dress. And when they found it, it cost more than her whole wardrobe. Apparently, Juvia got a lot of money on her birthday which she saved, but she still had to borrow some from both Mirajane and Levy to buy the piece of clothing. If she had really spent so much money and time on this date, she must really want Gray Fullbuster. And so Lucy was doomed.

xxx

Erza Scarlet has always been sure of what she wanted to do with her life. But today, she just didn't know. It was surprising, since the student council president of Magnolia High has always known everything when people came up to her for help. She has always been reliable, and that is why she was in such a position today. But this time, she just didn't know if the step she was taking was correct.

_Trust._ It was all about that one word. She was supposed to trust him, but how could she when he had broken that blind trust from her once already? What guarantee could he give that this same trust won't be broken again? Why should she give away her precious heart once again, only to have it wounded? She didn't know. But no matter what, she always kept coming back to him, even if she knew she shouldn't. He was not the right one, and she knew it. But still… why?

There was a connection between them; something that she just couldn't ignore. It was this feeling she had all the time when he wasn't there, and all she wanted was to be beside him, even if she knew she would just get herself hurt once again. It had been two years now, but every single moment without him was becoming unbearable for her. Why? She knew she did the right decision by leaving him. But then again, did she? What if she had been wrong all along? What if… leaving him… was much more than just a huge loss? What if they were meant to be and this was a mistake which she finally had the chance to fix? Maybe it was, but maybe it really wasn't; she didn't know. She was Erza Scarlet, but should she trust her heart on this one and give him one last chance? Maybe he could prove to her how much he loved her. He was her first love, after all. _And first heartbreak too._

Shaking off the negative thoughts, she went forward with an absolutely emotionless façade. Once there, she noticed that a figure was already present, and turned hearing her footsteps. It was then his lips curved into a charming smile, as if happy to see her. But she kept still, showing no sort of emotion. When in reality, her heart was beating absolutely fast and she could almost swear he heard it. He was the reason of her bother for a few days. She didn't know how to face him again. He was also why she didn't pay attention to her friends much, and even turned down Juvia on one of the most important days of her life, something she regretted now. But it was all for him, and that was the only name on her lips.

"Jellal."

* * *

**Is this kind of JerZa? Oh God, I hope not. I am not exactly a fan of Jellal, but Erza is -.- She's like, all 'Jellal Jellal' 24/7, and it gets a bit annoying. Well, maybe she's not but I've just read too many fics and seen too many videos of her being like that. She should still realize Gray is better, even though we don't even know if Gray likes her. But still! They have so much potential! Am I ranting? Oh... I should stop...**

**Reviews are loved!**


	6. 6: What I Didn't Mean

**A/N: :O Did I update? Yes I did xD I, myself, was expecting to take longer to update this time since I was stuck on how to write the NaLu here. There's sliiiiiiiiiiiiiight fluff in this one. I got inspiration from an awesome NaLu video which absolutely rocks! Oh and, right now I'm being all anti-Jellal and I'm hating him and I just want him to die so GrayZa happens and I want Erza to realize what she's missing on and I just want GrayZa so bad and all, so I might be really mean and bitchy to Jellal. Sorry :/ But hopefully I'll make him nicer if time goes by and Erza becomes a bit more smart. I wanted to add JerZa interactions in this chapter, but I'm not all that good in it so nah. This is unexpectedly short, but they'll get longer! Right now, let's just move on to shoutouts :D**

**bella-romeo: :O YOUR PLAN IS EPIC! I should do that with her O.o Maybe I just will :P And thanks! I'll try not to give up on them, and thank you again :) Yeah, Erza is just being too dumb and all Jellal right now -.- Someone has to put in some sense into her.**

**AshNa 6: IKR! They have sooooo much chemistry, and Gray ****_was_**** the one for that. She should stop running after someone who doesn't even care for her (maybe) and see what she's missing out on. Ugh, frustrating!**

**mcFinnian: Honestly, I never expected to update so fast so I'm surprising myself quite a lot. And thank you :) I hope this chapter isn't all that bad. It was ****_kind of_**** rushed but... I don't really know. Hope you like it :)**

**LaynieCakes: Aw, thank you! I'm glad I did :D And phew, I'm not the only one then :P**

**pinkkoala213: Did you seriously review on my story? :O I'm dying right now... Have I mentioned I love Talking To The Moon, My Time With You, Speak Now, and The Story Of Us? Hehe, surprisingly I never knew they were all by the same author and you xD I'm such an idiot...**

.

.

.

**Chapter Six: What I Didn't Mean**

_Okay, so just breathe. Just breathe, Lucy. You know you can do this. Yes, you can… can you? No! No negative thoughts, breathe. Be calm, this is fairly simple. All you do is go inside there, hope he came early, and tell him you can't do this. Wow, bitchy much? Okay, plan B. Go in there, and tell him the real story. Yeah, better. No… what if he gets hurt? Well, then tell him it can be a double date! But do you really want to go on a date with him? No! This is no time for all this, Juvia will be here soon. Okay, breathe. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, exhale, exhale… Just get in there!_

And with that, Lucy Heartfilia gained all her courage to get in through the doors, much to the guard's relief who had been tired at holding it for so long. Once inside, Lucy quickly looked around, her eyes searching for one pink haired boy in particular. He would stand out, since his hair color was so unique. But when she still didn't find him, she found herself sigh. No one came this early, right? But she had no choice. Not being able to tell Juvia about the real deal, Lucy had to come early and talk to Natsu directly. But her suspicions were correct; he wasn't here yet. And Juvia would be right in time for her date, in order to make it perfect. So Lucy Heartfilia was once again doomed.

"I thought the men were supposed to arrive at dates first. Guess I'm wrong. Either that or I really need to fix my timing," a familiar voice spoke from behind her. Lucy immediately turned, hoping that it might be him, but she regretted that. Not because it wasn't him; it actually _was_ Natsu. The reason she got disappointed was because he looked absolutely gorgeous. With a black suit and white shirt, along with some finely polished shoes which probably cost a thousand. He didn't bother wearing a tie. Instead, he kept the first two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, which made him look all the more amazing. It seemed like he put a lot of effort into this, so how could she turn him down _now?_

When his fingers snapped in front of her, she came out of her daydream. She realized she had been staring for some while now, but he didn't seem to notice. And thank God for that. Lucy just gave him a small smile. Since she didn't come here for actually a date, she just grabbed an orange summer dress, trimmed with laces at the end, and some flats. She kept her hair open and didn't even bother to set it. Because if she was only rejecting him, then why dress up for it?

"Sorry," she replied, smiling sheepishly. "I spaced out, I guess. You look nice."

"You look better." She would've laughed at the cheesiness, but decided to just get to business instead. She shouldn't lead him on. So, with a deep breath, Lucy started, "Um… look Natsu, I actually… I… Okay, I don't know how to say this but… um… When I told you I was looking for someone… It's just that… Actually, Gray…"

Before the blonde could finish, Natsu's eyes widened at the very mention of Gray. Lucy got a little worried, wanting to ask him if anything was wrong, but he beat her to it. "Shit," he cursed to himself, though the blonde heard it. "I should've known."

And just like that, he started to leave. Getting worried, Lucy ran after him, but the minute she came in contact with his hand, he pushed it away before telling her, "Look, Lucy, I truly am sorry. You don't need to put yourself responsible, I shouldn't have assumed things just like that. I get it; it's always Gray. But it's fine, okay? I didn't mind. I'm just feeling stupid, so don't put the blame on yourself. I'll just… see you later."

Once again, Lucy Heartfilia was completely frozen. Was it just her or did she notice some kind of hurt in his voice? Maybe she did, because his words did sound a bit like that. But by the time Lucy had run after him to find more, Natsu Dragneel was nowhere to be seen. However, she didn't give up. She looked frantically all around for a while, before she gave up hope. _Forget it,_ she thought to herself, _he's gone and not coming back, and it is all because of me. What if he was actually hurt? It sounded like he thought I wanted to go a date with Gray instead of him. Anyone would be hurt after hearing those words. I should really make this up to him somehow, but where is he? Probably in the hotel… yes, I should go there._

But right when she took another step, a very familiar car came up and a blue haired woman stepped out, all dressed up for her date.

_Oh darn._


	7. 7: Two Days

**A/N: Omg bhoshfdsdfdfdmfmlj;m I'm just so in a GrayZa mood right now O.o I was looking through some videos and I just happened to come around the GrayZa riverbank scene :'( It was just so cute with the background music and the scenery and the way Gray approached her and how awesome it all was and how they're meant to be and how he said those words and just Gray and just Erza and just GrayZa is so meant to be :'( I'm fangirling way too much right now :P But ugh they're so cute!**

**The NaLu might seem a little too early, but that's how it has to be because at some point in the NaLu, GrayZa will start and at some point in GrayZa, LyVia will start and all that. And there won't be much Jellal in this because last night I was planning it out and then I realized that if I put in a lot of Jellal then when NaLu and LyVia finally happen, GrayZa will still take a few more chapters because it becomes just so complicated. And I don't want to remove the complication of Gray's fiance(almost wrote her name in there xD) because I just want to write that. Soooo yeah... here's the new chapter!**

**I know, this one is really short like the previous but that's because I intend to make the next one bigger. GrayZa will finally start there ;) I've been waiting to write them myself, and hopefully you guys will enjoy it :) Same for this chapter. Tiny bit of a shock, I think. But if some of you have already guessed for it to happen, then awesome xD But yeah, this is what happens and Gray is irresistible )**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**LaynieCakes: hehe, yesh it is pretty dramatic :P But here's the update :) You can finally know what happened.**

**bella-romeo: Yup, Lucy really is an idiot. She should change her way of explaining things O.o But I still love her. And np! I love your stories, so it's really a pleasure :)**

**Winter . Waltz: Unfortunately, no she wasn't jealous. I didn't make it because it was just too obvious and early. I mean, they didn't even properly meet yet :P But yeah, Lucy should probably make it up to Natsu. The poor thing :/**

.

.

.

**Chapter Seven: Two Days**

It had been two days.

For Lucy Heartfilia, it had been two days since her friend Juvia Lockser had learned the truth of what happened. It had been two days since Juvia refused to talk to her. It had been two days since Natsu Dragneel completely ignored her. And; it had been two days since she was sulking. However, for Erza Scarlet, it was the exact opposite. It had been two days since she met with Jellal Fernandez. It had been two days since she learned how much he loved her. It had been two days since her ex-boyfriend was now her current boyfriend. And; it had been two days since she was happy more than anything. And so we come in the current situation, with Erza happily having her lunch, and Lucy groaning, putting her head in her hands.

"Life is so nice," Erza said happily as she took another bite of her strawberry cheesecake. Yes, the student council president had a sweet tooth. And not just any, at that. She would sacrifice almost anything for a bite of the heavenly desert: strawberry cheesecake.

"Life sucks," groaned the blonde beside her. But Erza wasn't annoyed; instead, she didn't show a hint of rage of annoyance as she chewed on happily.

"You should give it a second chance. Everyone deserves second chance."

"Don't you think you're telling that to the wrong person?" Lucy was now annoyed. She was already in a bad mood for these few days, and she didn't need her friend going on and on about her perfect life. She loved her friend, she really did, but she just didn't want to hear all this happy stuff when she was going through hell. And like everyone else, she didn't even trust Jellal! And she had no idea why Erza kept on going back to him. Because at the end, they all believe that he didn't deserve her.

xxx

The old man sighed, before turning to the young raven haired boy in front of him and speaking, "This is just too much to take, Mr. Fullbuster. At your first day, you made one female student faint, though not being your fault. It was to be forgiven. But in these past two days, you've made more than eighteen female students come to the nurse, most in an unconscious state, and they were all done by you. We know it is not something to be helped, and we also understand it wasn't intentional and you took care of it. But this cannot go on. We cannot keep on risking the health of our students."

Gray simply nodded as he looked down. Obviously, it was not his fault that some fans were a bit too extreme and couldn't handle a single word or contact from him. But he did feel bad that so many of the girls had to come to the nurse because of it. It was not like he could help it. If he could, then he most definitely wouldn't risk their health. But he just… couldn't.

"We understand this is something not in your control, but unfortunately this is something that we are just being able to prevent. We are not asking you to not socialize, because that would be absurd. We just want you to stay careful."

"I understand, sir," he told the principal, now looking directly at his eyes. And he did understand; he didn't want this to keep on happening, that would just ruin their chances of returning and getting the record deal. And he couldn't risk it.

"Good," the man firmly nodded. Gray was glad for not getting any severe punishment. He could now be more careful about his actions and hopefully not make any more of the girls faint or attend the nurse's room because of him. "But, however, our student council president would like to talk to you."

And just like that, his happiness faded away.


	8. 8: All About Happiness

**A/N: Okay so, wow. Kind of a long wait, but I have a good excuse. I was actually staying at my cousins' for a few days (again) because of Eid and all that, and my document was here at home so I couldn't upload. I considered putting up this chapter before I left, but I just couldn't finish it. Anywho, I'm not so happy about this chapter. That is because I think it should've been better and there should've been more GrayZa since the wait was really long. But it's the starting of their relationship, you can't expect ****_that much fluff._**** Anyways, the fluff will increase as the chapters go by, I promise.**

**Now, you might have noticed that this is now left-aligned, but you might have not... anyways. The reason for that is because someone requested for it to be this way since the center thing isn't easy to read. I hope it's better now :)**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Mhm, Lucy should really clear it up. Don't worry, she will soon enough ;) And here's the update :) Not as much GrayZa as I expected, but oh well.**

**mcFinnian: xD Thanks! I considered writing in first-person, but I wanted to show all the characters and I don't like changing POVs. Anyway, glad its easier :)**

**Raikiri80: Haha, she might just be one :P Erza is not really the type to go fangirling, but not a bad idea. There is going to be something related slightly to the riverbank scene, since its just too cute for me to not mention. And yup, the engagement will surely cause some problems.**

**LaynieCakes: xD Fluffs will come a bit later though, but I hope you're not disappointed. Even though I am.**

**pinkkoala213: Love at first sight doesn't sound so bad, and np :)**

**Winter . Waltz: Yup, poor Lucy :( But the stuff with her will be solved soon enough :)**

**Guest: Hehe, thanks! And here's the update for you :)**

**AshNa 6: Yup, they finally meet :V**

**GRAYZA FOREVAH (Guest): :D Thanks! GrayZa fluff will be coming in on the future chapters though.**

**GrayZaRocker (Guest): Now I feel really bad. Sorry for the lack of fluff :/ But I'll be sure to make up for it in later chapters :)**

**Inside the Fire 475: Thanks :) I actually aligned it center because when I read stories on the computer, I find it easier that way. And also while reading it as center in the mobile site, I don't face problems but if you are, then sorry. I hope its easier now :)**

**P.S. To everyone who was expecting a lot of GrayZa fluff, sorry for the disappointment :(**

****.

.

.

**Chapter Eight: All About Happiness**

.

.

.

Happiness; some people have it, some people don't.

Gray Fullbuster was one of the people who didn't have the slightest bit of it right now. And why is that? Well, he had already heard that Magnolia High's student council president was as scary as a person could be. In fact, she was a _demon_, as some people might say. And she most certainly didn't want to meet him for an autograph. He figured that much, at least. And now all Gray could do was wait and expect for the worst.

Erza Scarlet, however, was flying high on cloud nine. Why wouldn't she be? After all, she had just learned that her one true love, whom she thought had cheated on her, always loved her and her only. After the meeting with Jellal, he had told her that she never gave him a chance to explain himself. And now she knew that if only she had listened to him earlier, she would've known that he never even cheated on her in the first place. The _other girl_ was just someone who wanted to break apart their relationship, and now she knew it. She was so happy to finally be with him again that she forgot she had called Gray Fullbuster, and only realized it when she walked across the classroom where they were supposed to meet.

"Forgot? You _forgot?_ How can someone _forget_ they had a meeting?" The raven haired boy was now starting to get on her nerves. Of course, it's only natural for people to forget things. And this wasn't even something important. Plus, two hours of waiting wasn't that long, so he certainly shouldn't whine so much.

"Listen," she began quietly, _trying_ to not show her annoyance, "It is not a big deal."

"Not a _big deal?_ How can you even say that? I wasted my two hours here after school when I could've been doing things which are certainly more important." Gray was furious. How dare she tell him that this was not a big deal when all of his time wasted could've been for something more important?

"Oh? And what 'important' things could you have done, may I ask?"

"I could've been working."

"Working? How exactly?"

"Well, I could've been writing lyrics for my songs. I also could've been practicing for them, which is really important since that's my job."

"Oh, right," she recalled, "You could've been writing your stupid love songs."

That insult was just too much for Gray to take. Stupid love songs? How dare she? Their songs were ones people loved, and worldwide at that. Not even all of their songs were about love and girls and all that, so she had no reason to judge them for the very few things she knew. "Are you insulting me, Ms. Scarlet?"

"I most certainly am." Speaking honestly, she didn't even care if he felt hurt or not. He had been whining way too much which she found very annoying. In fact, she could already swear that she wouldn't like this guy one bit. After all, he had just arrived and he caused so many problems to the students, one being her friend. And so, her hatred was confirmed.

Gray Fullbuster felt kind of the same towards her. This girl didn't even know a single thing about him and she was already being so judgy. She even insulted his writing, and he obviously didn't like that. He was mad, and he found her to be extremely controlling. And after the insults, he obviously couldn't bear to be in the same room as her. So he left, not caring about anything else.

He could already swear he didn't want to be associated with someone like her.

xxx

Juvia Lockser knew that this would be her last and only chance. After all, when she asked one of her friends to do the same thing, she practically betrayed her. And so, Juvia had no other choice than to ask out the man of her dreams by herself.

She knew she would probably mess it up somehow, but she just couldn't risk that. She had practiced by herself plenty of times, and she hoped that would be used to her advantage. After all, she was sure that Gray was her lifelong love, and that they were meant to be. And so, gathering all her courage, she stepped in through the doors. But the poor girl didn't know that all that was awaiting her was heartbreak.

xxx

"And he… left?"

"Yes."

"Did he look angry?"

"Of course he did. I mean, can you even believe it? What right does _he_ have to be angry? I only spoke the truth. It's me who should be furious because of his whining, which was very annoying, may I add. God, do people seriously like this guy? He's not likeable at all. He's annoying, stupid, not talented in the slightest, and whines just way too much for my liking, or anyone's, for that matter. I mean, two hours? He could've made another stupid love song in that time? If so, then thank God he didn't. Who even listens to his songs? It's just–"

"Erza," Mirajane cut off her friend in the middle of her ranting. She knew what she was about to say might hurt her, but it was something all of them wanted to let out. "I think you were a bit too… rude."

Obviously, Erza Scarlet was a bit angry to hear that, and now puzzled as well. Rude? Why would she be rude? She only spoke the truth, right? "No… I wasn't rude to him."

"Actually… you kind of were," Levy agreed. They all knew that this would make Erza even madder, but they had a right to speak out their opinions. However, a certain blonde was worried about something else.

"Hey, Erza," Lucy called out, getting everyone's attention. "Did you say he looked… mad?"

"Yes, he did, but it was not my fault, I can tell you that."

Lucy wasn't worried about any of that. Because as soon as the word 'yes' was uttered by her friend, a very expectant blue haired girl came into her thoughts. _Oh no_.


	9. 9: My True Love

**A/N: Okaaay so, kind of a long wait huh? But here's a fairly long chapter to make up for it :) This is actually the longest so far, so I'm quite proud of myself. Annnnnd just to let you guys know, my school starts again on Monday (WHY, OH WHY?!) and so updates will probably be really slow :/**

**Anyways, so last night I was thinking about the whole story and I changed some major things (again) and I might do it in the future as well. It can't be helped, I have nothing else to do when I can't sleep so... yeah... Okay so I won't bore you with my stupid ranting, so shoutouts and then the actual chapter :P And I'll change the other chapters and make them left-aligned after some while... tomorrow maybe, I don't know.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**mcFinnian: Hehe, I know xD I think this is the only chapter that does not end at a cliffhanger O.o But here's the new chapter :)**

**LaynieCakes: Thanks xD I was worried I'd get angry reviews for not putting fluff at all but yeah... glad you liked the start :) And there's more of it to come ;)**

**bella-romeo: Haha, I'm laughing out loud imagining the situation. And don't worry, I'm going to continue and finish this story :) Yup, poor Juvia. And here's an update to keep you sane :P**

**Raikiri80: Mhm, that is quite true. And no, she doesn't hate musicians/celebrities :P She just hates Gray because she found him quite annoying.**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Hm, an amazing break-up? Slightly confused on what that means, if you could make it more clear I'll try my best to make it close to that :) And hehe, yesh I've thought of a similar scene, and it will come (even though late on the future) xP**

**Winter . Waltz: Hehe, thanks xD AND OMG YES :V I'm so glad you caught it! I was trying to make it when Gray didn't like Erza at all in the first, and Erza wasn't a big fan of his either... somewhat like that. So yeah xD And she might just be it, but I won't reveal anything yet ;)**

**P.S. THE LYVIA STARTS HERE! Hehe, I actually had fun writing the Lyon x Juvia part, and I hope you all enjoy it too. Oh and, the chapter title ('My True Love') is kind of in Juvia's POV (the ****_title_****, no the chapter) and it can mean for both Gray and Lyon.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Nine: My True Love**

"THAT'S IT!" A shrill scream of a feminine voice could be heard by nearby houses. Some of the residents were frightened, some were worried, while the rest didn't pay any attention to it as they continued their work in annoyance. Most of the people figured it was nothing special, so they didn't bother going there and just continued their work. The scream was emitted from the apartment of Lucy Heartfilia, but not by her. Oh, no. The scream came from the always happy-go-lucky Juvia Lockser, which was a shock to Lucy and her friends. But not in Juvia's mind.

"I've had enough of your crap, Lucy! I'm just tired now; so very tired. What is wrong with you? Can't you just see a friend of yours happy? Can't you just see _me_ happy? I thought you cared for me. I thought you cared for your friends and wanted their happiness! But I was wrong. It's not like that at all! All you care about is your own happiness, and it's all about you, isn't it? You're a selfish little bitch!"

Lucy Heartfilia now stood frozen. She was hurt that one of her best friends could think of herself in such a way. All she wanted to do was help, but it seemed like she ruined everything. Well, everything for Juvia, at least. The Juvia who always praised her, always supported her, always helped her, and now just cursed at her in anger. _A bitch,_ she thought, _that's what I'm referred to as now. Once again, just another person to ruin it all for everyone._

"Juvia," Mirajane had started, slowly at first. She was afraid that if she wasn't gentle, her friend would completely break down, anger not being the only feeling of hers then. "Lucy never wanted to… hurt you, you know. She was just trying to help, that's all."

"Help? You call this _help?_ How can you even call _ruining someone's life_ as help? But, why am I listening to you? You always try too hard to find the good in people, Mira! If you were more normal, then you would see how selfish this girl really is and what her true intentions are!"

"No," Levy disagreed. Of course, they all cared for their friend, but they couldn't see her insult another as well. "Lucy's intentions were never wrong. She didn't mean for you to think this way, she just wanted to save you from heartbreak."

"Oh, so I see what it is now. All of you are supporting her! In fact, you were never on my side. Because _this_ is what you always thought, right? Everything else was an act! But deep down, you just thought that I would be rejected. You thought I would fail! And all those wishes… were false. You _wanted_ this to happen. You _wanted_ me to fail. That's what it always was, right? Right?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH JUVIA!" And there was another scream. It was a bit surprising that she stayed quiet for this long, but she spoke now. Erza Scarlet had reached the limit of her patience, already having a bad day. "Stop insulting all of us! We're your friends; don't you have the tiniest bit of faith in us?"

"No! As a matter of fact, I don't have faith in any of you anymore! Such betrayers like all of you… I wouldn't dare call you my friends!"

"Well then, we won't care for you anymore! All Lucy wanted was for you to not be rejected! And it was not because she didn't have faith in you; it was because your oh-so-precious, the one you were going to confess to, was already in a bad mood and wouldn't have accepted your love! He would've rejected you because he was mad, the reason being unknown. Lucy just wanted to help you; _we all wanted to help you._"

"Gray loves me! I know it, I do. I'll show him my true love, and a bit of anger can't stop me from doing that. You don't know how much my feelings are worth!"

"No matter what, he certainly wouldn't accept you if he's in a bad mood! Geez Juvia, can't you try and understand the scenario here?"

"No! I don't want to understand any of your lies!" And with that being said, Juvia Lockser stormed outside, leaving behind shocked and furious faces.

xxx

_I can't believe it. I just can't believe it! What were they trying to tell me, that I have no chance with Gray at all? They don't know anything about me and my love! They are not ones to judge._

Juvia Lockser believed that love could overcome everything in the world, and that being her belief, the girl surely knew to love to the extent. She knew that Gray Fullbuster was _the one_ for her, but she hated how her friends constantly put her down. She didn't understand any of it; they had always been so supportive about everything, then why couldn't they support her love for Gray? Didn't they believe she was capable enough for his love? Or did they think he was out of her reach?

In frustration, the girl kicked a nearby lamp post in the road she was walking. It was late and she was supposed to be in her dorm by now, but she just couldn't bear staying in the same hall as the ones she had once her 'friends'. And so she kept roaming, without a destination in mind, just trying to sort things out. And it wasn't long till the tears came.

xxx

"Hm, yes. I'm good. I see, okay. That will work out fine. Six months… yes, I think so. I'll confirm that and let you know when I call again… Alright. See you soon then, take care. Bye."

"Who was that?" Natsu Dragneel was bored, as always, and he casually asked his teammate the question while trying to throw bundles of waste papers in the bin. He could say he had nothing to do, and that statement wouldn't be false.

"Who do you think?" asked Loke, while coming out of his shower. They had been practicing for a while now, and Gray was supposed to explain the new song to them, which was the reason they were all in his hotel room. While returning from their studio, they just went directly there instead of going to their own rooms. It wasn't a surprise to Gray; this is how they always were.

"Um…?" The boy was clueless, and his orange haired teammate just sighed before answering, "It's the future Mrs. Fullbuster, dumbass."

"Oh," Natsu recalled. He didn't know why he didn't just assume that in the first place and now he felt incredibly dumb. But he shook aside that thought because his friends knew how he was. "Where is she now?"

"She's in LA for a film shoot," Gray told him, answering for the first time while going through his drawers trying to find the new song he'd written. "Will be back in… I don't know, never tells but it sounded like it'll take quite long this time."

Natsu just gave him a nod and put his attention back into throwing the papers in the bin, a mission still unaccomplished. When he abruptly stopped it was because he had just realized something he couldn't help but ask, "Hey, where's Lyon?"

"You ask that _now?_" Loke just said while drying his hair with the towel. He was in front of the mirror placed in the room, far from Natsu and Gray who were near the bed. Their hotel rooms were fairly large. After all, they were celebrities and deserved the best, even if they were sent here for 'punishment'. "He said something about 'walking around nearby'… had to get his mind off something I don't even know."

Natsu just nodded again, and as Gray found the piece of paper he was looking for, they all gathered around as the discussion started.

xxx

Lyon Vastia didn't know why he was out on the street in the first place. He had wanted to look around the city, but he knew he didn't need to do that late at night. He just felt like going around the streets for some odd reason, and so he did. But now he found himself in an unknown park without knowing how to get back to the hotel. _Damn it,_ he thought to himself, _should've brought Natsu or someone._ And no matter how foolish his friend was, he knew that Natsu could get them back because he was good with directions. But unfortunately, he wasn't here, and Lyon was just stuck in a place he couldn't indentify.

After a few more moments of panicking, some sounds of movement caught Lyon's eye. As he looked to the destination he assumed it was from, he was quite shocked to find a familiar blunette nearby. Even in the dark he could make out that this was the same girl who he saw on the first day of school. The same girl he thought was beautiful beyond belief, and the same girl who had fainted for talking to Loke. The reason Lyon didn't really look for her was because he assumed she was a fan, and if she fainted by just talking to Loke, who knew what would happen if they became friends. And so he didn't do anything about it. But this time, however, he couldn't resist when he saw the girl crying. Yes, she was in fact _crying._ And Lyon just had the urge to go over and console her, but what if she fainted again? That would affect her health, and he didn't want that. But he couldn't just stand and see her cry, right? After what seemed like an endless debate in his mind, he thought, _Screw it. So what if something happens? At least she won't cry anymore, and hey, you never know, we might just become friends normally._ And so he walked over to the crying girl.

"Hey," he told her quietly once he reached. She was obviously surprised, since she wasn't expecting anyone to come over, and most certainly not him. "You okay?"

His words were met by just a nod, as the girl started her tears. Lyon sighed as he sat beside her on the bench. "I won't ask."

She was confused as to what he was talking about, and so she couldn't help herself. "Ask about what?"

"I won't ask," Lyon repeated, about to complete his sentence, "why such a beautiful girl is crying here all alone since I'm pretty sure that that's a crime." His words were met with a small chuckle, and he was glad he could cheer her up a bit. "However," he continued, "what I will ask is a favor from you."

"A favor? What kind?"

"Well, I'd like to give you my number so that if… _this_ ever happens again, you can just give me a call and I'll come right up." She was astonished by how kind he could be giving that this was their first ever meeting and she couldn't find herself to refuse when he took her phone and typed in his number.

"By the way, I'm–"

"Lyon Vastia, I know." Her words didn't shock him since he kind of expected her to be a fan. "Juvia Lockser," she smiled.

And that was a smile he returned. "Well, look at that. You're not crying anymore."

A chuckle escaped her lips again and for a moment, Juvia almost forgot the reason she was crying in the first place. She was just too overwhelmed by how charming Lyon could be with his kindness, and she absolutely adored it.

"But I meant what I said," Lyon told her, in a much more serious tone this time, "If this happens again; do _not_ hesitate to call me."

"I won't," she told him, smiling again. And she really wouldn't. Because right now, when she felt betrayed and hurt and pained, Lyon had made her smile not even a minute after he came. "But if I don't go back to my dorm right now, then I'm sure the guard won't even hesitate in closing the gates in my face."

He had laughed at that, allowing her to leave, but not before reminding her to call. And as Juvia started to get up and already walk down the street, she couldn't help but turn around once, just for the sake of it.


	10. 10: A Start For The End

**A/N: Ta-da! Another update xD This one took a little time, and I'd like to apologize for that. Today was my first day of school and it sucked -.- So this chapter might be a little bad because I'm reaaaaally tired right now, and I just want to go to sleep. Oh and, I've decided that I won't post the next chapter till I have the story written at least till the fifteenth chapter (are we down to ten already? wow). So I'd like to ask you all to please review. That's because I know that sometimes in the middle of writing a chapter, I'll completely give up but if a new review pops up during that time, then I'll get motivated to write again. So yeah, reviews are loved :)**

**Let me clarify a few things before you go on with this. Gray did NOT reject Juvia; Lucy took her away before she could confess to him, and she was sad because her friends didn't support her. That was the reason she was sad, not because Gray rejected her because he didn't. If you guys know this already, great. But I just thought it created some confusions so yeah :P Oh and, the club thingy. I decided to add it because my school started and I got to remember about the clubs :P So here's how it works: prefects stay in-charge of clubs, but they are not necessarily in the student council. The student council takes care of student affairs, meaning doing a lot of stuff like creating the student handbook, keeping students disciplined, doing the accounting and blah blah blah. However, some prefects from the student council can be in-charge of clubs as well, so it depends. Juvia is a prefect, but she's not in the student council. You'll just get it when you read the thingy.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**LaynieCakes: xD Glad you enjoyed it! There will be much more LyVia to come, but there will be even better fluff scenes for GrayZa soon ;)**

**mcFinnian: Aw, thanks! Yup, they rock. I just hope Juvia realizes that she should be with Lyon, even though I absolutely adore Gray, he just doesn't see her like ****_that._**** So she should really pay attention to Lyon before he stops paying attention to her :/**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Ooooh, I see. Well, I'll just see how you like what I have planned :) And thanks! I'll try not to make Lyon so obsessed with her in this story :P I never planned to make him like that anyways, but I will try to put similarities between the anime because... idk why O.o**

**Raikiri80: First of all, thanks! :) Second, I really don't know what to say to that... It is ****_kind of_**** like that. Erza was mean with him because yes, she wanted to show him that she didn't care whether he was well-known or not, and it was also because he annoyed her. Kind of like a mixture and something like that... ugh, I don't know how to say it. I'm stupid, sorry :/**

**bella-romeo: LOL no offense, but you have a really sucky leader :P Hope your ankle is better now. And yeah, LyVia :V Thanks :) And ****_she_**** will arrive a little later ;)**

**GrayZaRocker: Well, she didn't realize it yet, but she will soon enough. LyVia all the way!**

**P.S. I was looking for stories with Gray and Erza, and it upset me that more than half of them were either JerZa or GruVia -.- Also, a lot of people went extreme JerZa on me nowadays so I was really tempted to put plenty of GrayZa fluff in this chapter. And when I say plenty, I do mean ****_plenty._**** But I controlled myself, because if I did that, my story would suck :P Plus, I will overload the whole story with GrayZa in future chapters so I should really... build up the tension? Something like that... ANYWAYS on with the real chapter.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Ten: A Start For The End**

After a few dreadful days filled with heartbreak and betrayal, Juvia Lockser was finally starting to look forward towards the one this time. These past days had been hard for her, each day giving her only pain and hurt, and she was glad that those times were over. _It won't happen again,_ she had told herself when she woke up. After meeting the charming and sweet boy who had helped her through her vulnerability, she was surprisingly in a much better mood. And since he had already helped her so much, she really hoped he would also help her win over her love. _He will,_ she repeated, _why won't he? Lyon is kind, caring, sweet… I'm sure he'll help me get Gray, especially if I can keep him happy. I know I can, and I will. Of course, I won't ask it to him directly. He'll just eventually help me. Yeah, that's better. It'll work perfectly, I'm sure of that._

Brainstorming her plan on the way, Juvia didn't even realize when she had reached the gates of her school. Taking in a few deep breaths, she kept chanting to herself that everything would turn out fine. The gates were already open by now, and seeing that the young girl wasn't going in anytime soon, the guard became irritated and pushed her through. Startled, Juvia opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, later realizing what had just happened. _Quite some start, huh?_

xxx

"Okay, so guys," Lyon had started, getting the attention he wanted from his friends, "this is Juvia, Juvia Lockser. And Juvia that's Loke, Gray, and Natsu, but I'm sure you know them already."

The girl simply nodded and smiled while the boys greeted her. She was glad that everything was working perfectly so far. The first step to love was friendship, and she had to be good friends with Gray for starters. Since Lyon was already introducing her to them and seemed like he would want to be good friends, that wouldn't exactly be too hard.

"I've seen you around before," a certain raven haired boy spoke, and Juvia felt her heart burst at the simple statement. "I hope we didn't cause many problems back then. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine now. And its fine; that wasn't really a big deal, happens to me a lot anyways."

"Well, that's really good to know." It was truly a surprise that she didn't faint when he showed her his pearly whites, because that smile could've cost millions. Fortunately for her, her practices were coming in use and she found out she was able to manage a decent conversation with him. And _that_ was a big achievement for sure.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The principal send me these forms for us all. Apparently, there are a couple of clubs around here, and we haven't joined any so we need to now," a certain orange haired boy told the group. The blunette was slightly confused, and cringed her eyebrows.

"You guys didn't join clubs?"

"Not really. I didn't even know there were such things in here," Natsu had replied, and then only did the girl realize. Students joined clubs at the beginning of the year, and Fairy Tail had joined a few months after the start of a new semester, so they couldn't have joined any clubs.

"Oh, right; you guys joined late. So are you filling up the forms now?"

"It says it's compulsory, so I guess we have to," Loke told her. Juvia just nodded and smiled while the boys scanned through their options. To her, this was just perfect. She was the prefect of a club, and if Gray joined her club then they would definitely spend more time together. That would make them bond and become friends. And then slowly, when they would be even closer, Gray would start to see her as someone more than a friend, which would be the start of their relationship. _Just perfect,_ the girl thought to herself, already having everything planned in her mind.

"So, have you guys decided yet?" The boys were in the middle of their forms and simply nodded, except Natsu who still looked a bit confused.

"I think I'll join the chess club," Loke told them, already having his minds set on it. All of them could have easily joined for music, but they decided they wanted to try something different this time. Also, Loke had always found chess interesting in his younger days.

"I don't know yet, even though Art and Drama sound interesting to me," the pink haired boy had said. He was still torn on deciding, but he knew he had to soon since they didn't have much time before the bell rang for first period. "Can we change clubs?"

"You can change in the middle of the year," Juvia answered, "and that would be two months from now. Unless you are a prefect; then you can't change."

"There is a prefect system?"

"Yes, we have that, and each prefect is responsible for their own club."

"Oh, well I guess I'll take Drama."

"Good choice, that club is really active," she replied, smiling once again. She had noticed that Gray still didn't choose a club yet, and simply cheered in her mind. "You know," she began, "the Photography club is pretty good."

"Is it active?" Lyon asked.

"Yes, very. It's really good, you guys should try it."

"I don't know," Gray replied, hesitating quite a bit, "Yearbook sounds good to me."

_Wait, what?_ Panicking, the girl didn't know what to do. This wasn't supposed to be like this, because Gray was supposed to pick her club so that her plan comes into action. He just couldn't pick a different one.

"I think I'll take Photography," Lyon said, writing down his choice. By the time Juvia decided on telling Gray to think it over, he had already written it down and stood up.

"Okay guys, I'll take the forms to the office." With that being said, all of them gave their forms to Gray as he started walking. And just when Juvia decided to call him for one last chance, the bell rang, signaling first period and her ultimate doom.

xxx

"So, when do clubs start from?" Gray asked the woman behind the desk once again as she took the papers from his hands and started organizing them.

"Afterschool, and last for at least one hour. The days are already posted on the notice board near the entrance, so you can check there," she answered in a grim voice.

"I see." Honestly speaking, Gray was quite excited about this. He had been to school, obviously, but he had to drop because of the band, the same as the rest of his teammates. They did have extracurricular activities in his previous school, but he had always chosen something related to music because he wanted to pursue his career as a singer. Now that he already had that occupation, he decided to try something else. He always wondered how the yearbook team worked, and so he chose that club. "Oh and, could you tell me who manages the yearbook club?"

The woman looked up again, adjusting her glasses. She cleared her throat before telling the young boy, but didn't know that her answer would drain all the color from his face, "Erza Scarlet."


	11. 11: Messing With The Queen

**Chapter Eleven: Messing With The Queen**

Erza Scarlet was furious, and that was never good. Every time the short tempered redhead got angry, the result would always turn out to be something ugly, and this was no exception. This time, the girl was angry because she saw a 'certain someone' hanging out with _her_ friend. Yes, we are talking about Gray Fullbuster being that 'certain someone' and Juvia Lockser being her friend.

The main reasons for her anger were because last night she had a fight with her friend, resulting them both to get angry at each other. She didn't talk with Juvia ever since, and the next morning she found her hanging out in the hallways of their school with someone she absolutely despises. So, obviously, Erza would get angry. And now she had the perfect revenge planned.

Earlier, she got the news that a new student was joining her club. And she was extremely happy to see that it was indeed Gray Fullbuster. _Oh, he doesn't know what's coming for him,_ she thought to herself in glee, a smirk easily forming on her face. _Get ready, Fullbuster._

And with the student council president taking a personal interest in him, Gray Fullbuster was officially doomed.

xxx

"What did you say her name was again?"

"Scarlet. Erza Scarlet."

"She's the student pres? And she's scary?"

"Yeah."

"She's your club prefect?"

"Yup."

"And she hates you?"

"No, she absolutely despises me, and the feeling's mutual."

"Oh," the pink haired boy said, then going deep into thought. After a second or two, he spoke again, "You do know that most of the time the person you hate is the one you end up marrying, right?"

"What the hell?" Gray exclaimed, annoyed now. Even though his friend had a point, since that was what they showed in stories and movies, he refused to acknowledge it. "I came here for help, Natsu. If I wanted to make my situation worse by listening to crap, I would've just gone to someone else."

"But you didn't."

"Because everyone else was busy, but that's beside the point. Can you just tell me what to do now?"

"Well, since you chose me as the person to go to for advice–"

"There was no one else to go to."

"–It is my responsibility to help you. However, in this case, I cannot really say much because I've never met this 'Erza' chick before. I'll still try to help you somehow. She sounds pretty scary to me from the sounds of it, and me being the knowledgeable person I am, I'd say that you have absolutely nothing to do about this. So the result is that you, my dear friend, are doomed."

Pleased with his words, Natsu Dragneel turned to look at his friend, who was, however, not amused. After a few seconds of silence, Gray just turned to leave, displeased with whatever 'advice' was given to him.

xxx

"So," Erza started, "We are going to start off with what we did last session. Everyone knows their sector of work, so get to it. As for the newbie… well, come to me later on. Now, we will have absolutely no slacking off, and everyone will pay attention to their work. I do not want to catch a single one of you doing anything else except that. Your progress will be checked today, so work hard. That's it for now; to your stations everyone."

In almost an instant, all the people went off in different directions. Gray braced himself, walking forward coolly. Honestly speaking, he was nervous as hell, but he obviously wouldn't let the girl know anything about it. And so, he did his best to not show any signs of being inferior to her, even though they both knew that he most certainly was. Once near her, he coughed to get her attention. With that still not working, he repeated the action. Erza had noticed, of course, but she decided to play around with him for some while. After coughing for three more times, Gray became annoyed and was about to take an action, but she beat him to it by turning around.

"Oh," she said, almost in disgust. "So it's you. Sorry, you're just not that noticeable."

Gray had the urge to come up with an epic comeback, but he couldn't think of one so he just clenched his teeth. "What should I do?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, how can I be of help?"

"Oh, I doubt you'll be of any." Getting insulted again, and not being able to take it anymore, Gray simply stormed off. Obviously, Erza didn't like that at all since she had planned to take this further, and followed him right outside to his car.

"Hey, where are you going?" Without answering, Gray kept moving forward, and so the girl spoke again. "Hey! Stop!"

"What?" he turned, clenching his teeth once again. They both came into an abrupt halt, and Erza decided to speak her opinion.

"I don't want to see you around my friend anymore."

"Your friend?"

"Yes, Juvia. She's too naïve and innocent, and people like you will most definitely corrupt her. I just don't want her to get into any bad influence, so I suggest you stay away from her. If you don't, I will not hesitate to do everything in my will to get you off her. And that will be bad."

"She's your friend, you say?"

"Yes, we've been friends for quite a long while now."

"Do friends deceive each other?" The sudden question caused Erza to freeze, and Gray took this as an opportunity to go further. "Do friends betray each other? Do friends not support each other's wishes? Do friends become selfish? Because from what Juvia told us, you did all that, so you cannot be classified as her friend."

"How dare you–"

"Insult the mighty Erza Scarlet?" he finished for her. "Well, what exactly are you going to do about it? From what I can see, we are off-campus, and so you cannot go around saying that you are the student council president because _it doesn't matter._ You see, without all your high positions in the school which only sound powerful, you are nothing. Right now, you don't matter to me because you don't mean anything, and nor does your 'power'. With exclamatory marks, may I add."

And with that said, Gray simply walked away, leaving behind a shocked and gawking Erza. However, the shock soon turned into rage as the girl clenched her fists.

"I don't matter?" she said aloud to no one in particular. "Oh, I will prove you wrong, _Fullbuster._"


	12. 12: Bonding Time

**A/N: Like last time, I don't have much time in hand so shoutouts and my ranting about how crappy the chapters are will have to wait for later. The next update will hopefully be soon, because I have the plot planned out till chapter 16 so yeah... P.S. This chapter promises NaLu and LyVia, which I had very fun writing. I hope its fun for you all to read too :) And please review! I promise to give shoutouts next chappy... if circumstances allow me to. Anyways, no more blabbing, and on with the story!**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twelve: Bonding Time**

"Okay everyone," a chirpy caught the attention of everyone in the room as they looked up at the stage to find a certain white haired prefect speak up, "welcome to the Drama club!"

Almost immediately, loud cheers spread throughout the room. The girl on the stage smiled, happy to see everyone in such a good mood. However, she did notice that two certain people were sulking, and those two people were, of course, Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel. Even so, she smirked to herself, because she had just formed a perfect plan in her mind to get those two 'together'. They made a good couple, no doubt, and they had a few misunderstandings, which had to be cleared up. And who better than to help them clear it up than Mirajane Strauss the famous matchmaker?

"So," she began, once again getting the attention of everyone, "I am aware we haven't had any meetings lately, but it's time to get back to work. This month, the drama club has arranged for working with a novel written by William Shakespeare. I believe you are all pretty familiar with this one, it is 'Romeo and Juliet'."

At the exact mention of the name, groans could be heard throughout the room. But Mirajane spoke almost immediately, "I know, I know, it's so very typical and overused. Because of that, we've decided to add a little twist of our own to this, which is something everyone does. However, we're also going to turn it from a play into a musical." Slight shock was what Mira was expecting, and getting that, she smiled and continued, "The music club is going to help us a little bit, but we want our members to participate more. Luckily for us, we have a new member who is a musician. I hope you all know Natsu Dragneel who is present here with us."

Everyone was aware that Natsu was present, especially because celebrities are hard to _not_ notice, but they turned their heads in his direction anyways. The attention would make most people nervous, but Natsu was used to it so he simply smiled. Mirajane continued, now about to put her plan into action, "Details will be told in the next meeting, now we will set the characters by lottery. Free time till the preparation is made, and Lucy, can you introduce Natsu to how the club works? Thanks." Without waiting for an answer, Mirajane set off and everyone else began chatting among themselves. Most girls were jealous that it was Lucy who got the chance to talk to Natsu Dragneel and wished to switch places. But even if a lot girls would give a million dollars to be in her position, Lucy didn't want this at all, mainly because of the misunderstanding they had. Natsu also wasn't fond of talking to her, and now he actually regretted choosing this club. But they had no choice _now,_ especially because they unknowingly fell into Mirajane's trap.

"Hey," Lucy had started once she reached him, and he just gave her a firm nod. Sighing, the girl just continued, "So here in drama club we usually do plays in our own style. This time we have a musical, which is pretty weird since its _drama_ club, but I guess they wanted to make it less typical so this works as well. Um, you already know the days we have the club so that's practically all."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Not really." The girl had kind of regretted what she said, but she decided to continue anyways. "Um, I actually… wanted to apologize for that… um, misunderstanding. You know; the date thing. It's not like I didn't want to go on a date with you, it's because I wasn't supposed to ask you in the first place."

"Yeah, I got it. It was about Gray, and it's my fault so I'm sorry."

"No! You don't get it… it was for… how do I say this? It was not for me, you know."

Natsu wasn't really paying attention, but the last sentence made him curious. "Meaning?"

"Well, it means that I was supposed ask Gray on a date for a friend of mine. It wasn't like I was asking him out, I was just asking for a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes, a very close friend of mine asked for the favor and I couldn't refuse. So yeah, I hope you understand?"

"Oh." And just like that, it was as if all their problems got cleared up, and they could probably get a new start.

xxx

"So," Lyon had started, "I wasn't aware you were the prefect of photography club."

"Well, now you know," Juvia smiled, arranging her work as Lyon sat beside helping her.

"So, were you advertising back then?"

The girl just chuckled.

xxx

"Um, I was thinking…" Lucy began, "since we didn't, you know, get to be on a 'date' back then, would you like to give it another shot?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"It depends. Are you accepting?"

"I don't think I could refuse if such a beautiful young lady is the one asking."

xxx

"How is it with your friends?"

"We aren't exactly talking at the moment, you know."

"Well, maybe you should try and clear it up with them?"

"There is nothing to clear up; they don't support any of my decisions."

"But you must have friends. It gets lonely without them, you know."

"I do have friends. You're there, right?"

xxx

"Okay everyone, the preparations are done, and we're going to start. Right, so starting off with main characters. For Romeo we have…" Once Mirajane chose a piece of paper, she read it aloud, "Natsu Dragneel."

Claps could be heard throughout the room as everyone congratulated Natsu. _Perfect,_ the girl thought, _now just the next thing has to go right._

xxx

"Could you pass me that file?"

"Yeah, here you go."

"Thanks. So, are you enjoying the club so far?"

"Can I not? I'm with you."

xxx

"And now, for Juliet the lucky chosen girl is…" As the young prefect chose a piece of paper, she could only pray for things to go right. _Please be Lucy, please be Lucy, please be –_ "Levy McGarden."


	13. 13: The Loss Of Another

**A/N: Okaaaaay so I am really sorry for the late update. And because of that, I wont waste your time with useless ranting you obviously don't need to hear. So this is going to be short with just the shoutouts. Annnnnd I don't have school tomorrow, so I'll try my best to post another chapter or two. Key word here: ****_try._**

**SHOUTOUTS!**

**narutardxD: Glad you to that! GrayZa is awesome ;) And thank you! Here's the update, sorry if it took long :/**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Thanks :) And I'm sorry its taking that long to update. I'm just busy with school since it started again, even though that is not a really good and common excuse. I'll try my best to make the updates more frequent :)**

**Winter . Waltz: Yeshh Juvia is being ****_really_**** stupid. Buuuut this chapter will hopefully be better for you :)**

**LaynieCakes: Hehe, thanks xD I know, it's sad it's not Lucy ;( But Mirajane shouldn't have done a lottery, there were less chances of her getting picked anyways. At first, I made it Lucy. But then I thought to put in a twist xD**

**mcFinnian: Yup, that was the plan :D And mhm, Juvia most certainly is but Lyon is there for that :P And thanks! I'm glad you liked it :)**

**Raikiri80: Yup, it's finally sorted out! Now they can have an all fluffy NaLu relationship! ... Or not.**

**bella-romeo: Hehe, yes xD There will be NaLu blooming in the upcoming chapters to make up for... something. Not giving any spoilers xD But GrayZa will start to turn fluffy. You'll be surprised by how soon it'll come :)**

**iKirara: XD Hope you still liked it :)**

**Guest: Thank you! And you'll see about the Jellal thing very soon.**

**Soccerisawesome19: Aw, thanks! And this is mostly a GrayZa fanfic, as mentioned, so it wont be turning into JerZa since I'm not such a huge fan. But I still hope you don't give up on this :)**

**GrayZaRocker: Yup, she most certainly didn't. But that doesn't mean she didn't get Natsu ;)**

**ThkJas09: Hehe, thanks xD And here's an update :) Sorry it took so long!**

**And now, finally, the update! P.S. can you help just a little bit? My friend is asking me for help and I'm not good at this high school drama and all. The thing is, she is dating this guy from another class and everything's all happy and rainbows and sunshine. Soooo suddenly she told me that one of her ex-boyfriends started talking to her and he told her he likes her. Now she apparently 'cant choose' between her boyfriend and ex-boyfriend, since she likes both and doesnt want to leave any. Yes, so cliche but still. Do you have any idea on what she can do? And I know she sounds like a two-timing slut. She knows that too so yeah...**

**Rather not waste your time with this, so enjoy the chapter! :)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Thirteen: The Loss Of Another**

"I'm sorry." Juvia Lockser never thought that she would be uttering those words to her friends, especially after they didn't support of her decision in winning over Gray. After their big fight a few nights ago, Juvia had strayed away from the group and didn't talk to them at all. She wasn't lonely, of course. In fact, she was hanging out with the famous boy band Fairy Tail for these days, which had most of Magnolia High's female population burning in jealousy. And she was happy; very, until Lyon had talked to her about it. It really surprised the girl to know how a certain white haired boy could always get her to change her decisions and her mood. And so, when Lyon had convinced her to fix things up with her friends, the blunette couldn't find herself to refuse.

Meanwhile, Erza Scarlet was absolutely stunned. She knew how stubborn Juvia was, and how much in love she was with Gray. Yet, when she thought they didn't want her to be with Gray, she still came to apologize. And even though the gesture was kind, the redhead still got suspicious. _In whose influence?_

"Um," Lucy had started. You couldn't blame her for stuttering, they were all taken by shock after all. And so the girls were now at a lack of words. "It's okay… I guess. We're pretty sorry too… we didn't mean for you to–"

"Its fine," Juvia cut her off, "My fault anyways. I misunderstood, and sorry for that."

"Don't put the blame on yourself, we should've been clearer," Levy added.

"Yes, you should've. But I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions either. I guess we're all at fault, but I just want my friends back."

It wasn't one of those long and heartwarming speeches as an apology, but the girls knew their friend meant every word she had just said. And so, forgiveness came pretty easily through warm smiles.

xxx

Gray Fullbuster was, for once in a really long time, helpless. And the reason for that was his oh-so-convincing friend; Natsu Dragneel. Apparently, Natsu was going on a 'date' with one of the girls in their school, and he said he really liked her. Earlier after setting the time, Natsu started on the preparations for the date. But when it was really close to the time of it, Natsu decided he will not have enough time going to pick her up without being late. Gray had suggested calling her and telling her to wait a while since he wasn't done, but Natsu forgot to get her number. And so, Gray Fullbuster was stuck picking up his friend's date, and he was truly helpless.

Right now, Gray was standing in front of the females' dorms provided by the school because that was where Natsu was supposed to pick up the girl from. Her name was, he had heard, Lucy Heartfilia, and she would be in Room 311 in the third floor. Apparently, that was not her room, since she had an apartment by herself. It was her friend's and she would be there with her for things she didn't specify. But Gray didn't want to go to details anyway; he just wanted to get this over with. And so, he kept on walking, trying to find where Lucy would be. But soon after, he really regretted the whole thing, because he saw a certain redhead stepping out of one of the rooms.

Erza Scarlet obviously didn't notice the boy who was now gawking at her, so she simply kept walking, humming a happy tune. She was in a good mood since she had just sorted things out with her friend, Juvia, and one of her problems was over. But it wasn't soon till that amazing feeling disappeared, because she just happened to spot out Gray Fullbuster in the hallway of _her_ dorm. Now, even though Erza might seem happy for getting one of her friends back, she still wasn't over how Gray had spoken to her earlier that day. She had never been insulted before, and now that she had, she was furious. And Gray Fullbuster would, of course, pay for what he did.

"Why are _you_ here?" she asked him, keeping some distance in between them. The way she had said the word 'you' was in pure disgust, and Gray didn't like that one bit.

"I don't need to explain anything to _you_."

"I'm the head girl of the female dormitories; I must know what is going on around here."

Gray wanted to argue, but he knew he would lose and be embarrassed either way, so he just decided to tell her. "I am here to pick someone up."

"And who might that be?"

"Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia."

"Lucy?" the girl enquired at the familiar name. "You mean, _my_ friend Lucy?"

Now, Gray most definitely did not know that Natsu's date was friends with Erza Scarlet, and he doubted Natsu did too. Because if he had, he would never come here. It was not the friends of the girl who had something wrong with them; it was Erza. He knew she had something against him, and he just wanted to ignore her. She even behaved extremely bad with him when she saw him with Juvia, who was apparently her friend, and God knows what she would do if he was seen going somewhere with Lucy. "Lucy is your friend?"

"She most certainly is; which is why I don't want to see you around her."

"You can't go on ordering around everyone."

"I can, and I am."

"Well, then I defy your orders."

"That is not possible."

"And why not?"

For once, the young girl was dumbfounded. She never expected anyone to not obey her commands, and now that someone had, she didn't know what to do. So she just thought of what to say next for a while. Speaking honestly, she realized he wasn't forced to obey her. It was his own will, and he could not listen to what the girl asked him for. "Because I am the student council president, I can ruin your life."

"How would you do that?"

"I don't need to explain my ways to someone like you."

"Someone like me? What could you possibly mean by that?"

"By that I mean someone who is arrogant, insolent, and absolutely selfish."

"Excuse me? You don't even know a thing about me. And for all I know, you are extremely controlling and conceited."

"Then why on earth are you still here talking to me? Just leave!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" And with that being said, both of them went into opposite directions, not in a good mood anymore. For all they knew; they hated each other, and they couldn't even see the other's face again.

xxx

Lucy Heartfilia was happy. That was pretty weird, since she shouldn't be. Earlier in her club, they had started a musical of 'Romeo and Juliet'. One of her friends, Natsu, whom she also liked a little, was casted for Romeo. So, of course, she wanted to be cast for Juliet. Unfortunately, she wasn't. She was upset, but happy nonetheless. The reason for this was because she still had a date with Natsu. She didn't like how previously their date got cancelled, and so she was determined to not cancel this one as well. After all, there were no misunderstandings this time.

And so, she was waiting in the room of her friend, Mirajane, as the white haired girl helped her get ready. Once done, they kept waiting for Natsu to pick her up. The place was chosen by him so he would come up to the room and take her. Even though it had been quite some time since he said he would arrive, the girls still waited patiently. And so, the clock ticked on. But what the poor girl didn't know was that she wouldn't be having her date today no matter how long she waited.


	14. 14: Feelings

**A/N: Dun dun dun! Another update :) Surprisingly early, but I did say I would try to post a chapter today. And I did :V I'm extremely happy, and I might just be able to post another today. Actually, no I won't xD However, I will try my best to make the next chapter long because it will include tons of GrayZa :V Well, not tons of it but still. It'll be the start :) Anyways, no more spoilers. Oh and, THANK YOU to all of you who helped with my friend's situation. I'm going to tell her about all of it, and I'm sure it'll be great help!**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**LaynieCakes: Hehe, yesh he did xD I'll did think of showing a very dramatic Natsu, but then I decided it wouldn't suit with the theme of this chapter. Anywaaaays, Gray'll make up for it really soon :)**

**mcFinnian: Aw, you don't know how much this means to me! Thank you so much, and I hope you like this chapter as well :)**

**bella-romeo: Hehe, yesh they can't. But they will have a date which doesn't get cancelled, so don't worry. I guess Erza and Gray are both at fault, and thank you for helping! I'll tell her about it, and I'm sure it'll come of use :)**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: xD Thanks! And (spoiler) there will be a GrayZa scene next chapter! I'll try my best to make it as good as possible :)**

**narutardXD: Haha, yes poor her :P But she will have a date with Natsu which will actually work out.**

**Raikiri80: Thanks for helping! Your advice does make sense, and I'll tell her about it :) I'm sure it'll help her a lot in her situation. Lyon is friendzoned, but he doesn't really have an idea of that yet. And the Gray and Erza thing is absolutely right. As I've mentioned, there will be a NaLu date to (hopefully) make up for the ones which didn't work out. And about your idea on the riverbank scene. I hate to ruin this just a bit, but you won't believe how close you are to what I have planned xP**

**pinkkoala213: Hehe, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :) And also, thank you for taking the time to help my friend. I'll tell her, and I'm sure this will help her in the confusion.**

**And now, without further ado, the actual chapter! I tried to make this one fluffy, so hopefully it is and you guys enjoy it :) Annnnnd from this chapter you can find out who Lucy and Gray are shipping :D**

.

.

.

**Chapter Fourteen: Feelings**

"Hey, good to see you."

"Yeah um good to see you too."

"How've you been?"

"Great, and you?"

"Just perfect." After uttering those words, the two fell into an awkward silence. Neither of them knew what to do, so they just stood there, looking everywhere in the room except for each other. Last night when Gray had returned to the hotel and went to sleep, while Natsu and Lucy kept waiting. Lucy was waiting to get picked up, and Natsu was waiting for Gray to bring her. But after three hours of waiting, they both just gave up. The next morning, Natsu had created a ruckus for Gray's irresponsibility. To make up for it, Gray bought him a new drum set, for which the boy was extremely happy. Later on, he thought that he ought to make it up to Lucy as well, and so he decided to give the girl a treat for lunch. Right now, some while after their school let out, they were sitting at a café, and both of them regretted this. It turned out everything was awkward and they had nothing to talk about.

"So," Lucy started after a long while, "why couldn't you pick me up?" Later on Gray had explained to the blonde that it was his fault for their date to get cancelled, since he was supposed to pick her up but didn't, even though he didn't specify why.

"Oh, right. About that…" the boy didn't really know what to say. What would he tell her anyways? That he was fighting with her friend and forgot all about her? That would make no sense, and she could even get angry. But there wasn't anything to say except that. "I… forgot."

"Forgot?"

"Actually it's like… um… I don't know how it's um… when I came to pick you up, I met that friend of yours; Erza. Now, she doesn't really like me."

"I've heard."

"Oh, so she spoke about me?" His tone was curious, and the blonde simply smirked. Gray cursed mentally for doing that, since it looked like he was romantically interested in Erza Scarlet, which he most certainly wasn't. "I mean… I was just surprised she wasted her _precious time_ to speak about me when she couldn't even stand the sight of me."

"Well, she didn't say _that_ bad things."

"Yeah, sure," he spoke sarcastically, since he most certainly didn't believe her. "Anyways, so I met her and she started a fight. It was just… she was being too controlling, and I don't like that. We couldn't be in the same room so I left in anger, completely forgetting about you. I'm sorry for that, it was my fault."

After a few seconds of silence, Lucy gave the worried boy a warm smile. "It's okay."

"Wait, what?"

"I said, it's okay."

"You are not angry with me or something?"

"Nope. I mean, I know that Erza can be a little bossy sometimes. It's only because she's overprotective, but that makes her a really good friend. However, I know she's not all that well with most people. Since you just met her, you might not really have a good impression on her. She's not actually that bad, you just need to give it some time for her to know you. I hope you stick around with her even though how she might come off as; she really needs more friends who understand her. And as for you forgetting about it, that is perfectly fine. I'm quite forgetful and stupid myself, you know. So yeah, you got distracted, no big deal. You're only human, right?"

Gray studied the girl in front of her, and then he just smiled. He was surprised by how understanding she was, and he decided that his friend chose a good one this time. "Thanks… for understanding. Most people don't get it in these times. I mean, I was expecting you to be extremely angry and all for ruining the 'most special night of your life'."

A small chuckle escaped her lips, before she spoke again, "Well, most people do get angry like that. But you explained, and I understand because I know Erza. And it's not like you purposely didn't pick me up, so it would be irrational for me to get mad at you."

"Hm." The waiter came soon after that to take their orders as they chose. After he had left, the two began talking some more. Surprisingly, the atmosphere had eased up, and they both became more comfortable around each other. After a while, it was Gray who brought up a very interesting topic.

"Hey, do you like Natsu?"

The question came off as something sudden to Lucy, but she answered nonetheless. "Yes, he's nice."

"No… like… I mean. Um, how does he come off to you as? Like, do you enjoy his company or something like that?"

"Are you interrogating me to find out if I'm good enough for him?" The boy let out a light chuckle, and Lucy smiled as well. "Well, I'll still answer. He… I'm not exactly sure how to say this. Natsu is just this… absolutely amazing guy. He's sweet, charming, and he really understands me. I know we haven't spent a lot of time together, but I really like him. He is so friendly, and he always wants to help out. I've seen him in the club and he was just so understanding and kind. He was always helping out people in their work and he was mixing freely with everyone. He's also really nice with me and my friends. When we were clearing up a misunderstanding between us, Natsu really understood. He accepted me even though I messed things up, and I really admire that about him. I've always waited for someone to come along and sweep me off my feet. This one person who would understand me, support me, help me, and always love me. It sounds so cheesy, but I've always believed that someone like that would come for me. And with Natsu… he just has this amazing feeling about him. Like, when I'm with him, I always feel that my wait for that one person is over. I believe he is that one person for me, and I… I couldn't be happier for having found him."

Gray just sat there, carefully watching Lucy. After hearing her words, he couldn't believe how amazing this girl was. He was happy for his friend, and he would wish these two the best for their relationship, since it was obvious that they were meant to be.

"So," Lucy said, having finished explaining, "Do I have your approval?"

Gray simply smiled and answered, "I doubt you need it. Natsu's already looks like he's crazy about you, but he's a pretty crazy guy. The thing is, he really cares about you. I mean, I've never seen him make such a big ruckus for a girl, and he did it for you. So obviously, he really likes you. So you don't need my approval. But still, if I have to give it, then I would say he would be a fool to miss out on such an amazing girl."

"Thanks," Lucy had smiled, one which he returned. "So, how do you feel about Erza?"

This caused the boy to groan, since he most certainly didn't want the name of that person to be uttered. "How is this even related? I mean, it's not like I'm interested in her."

"I'm just… curious. You know, Erza comes off as someone really controlling and bossy. But the thing is, she's just afraid. She's weak, and she doesn't want anyone to hurt her. That's why she has been putting on such a brave wall. It's like she's wearing an armor to protect herself from hurt. Someone just needs to break through this armor of hers and show her how beautiful the world truly is. She's only a girl, and a very scared girl at that. She has been through pain, and now she needs happiness. Now, you might not believe this at all, but I think you just might be the one to help her. You two might really hate each other, but hate is a very strong emotion. When she talks about you, there's just this thing which makes you want to listen. The way she speaks. I might be crazy for saying this, but I just feel like it's… well, I feel like you two have a connection. And you never know, you might just be the one she needs to break through her shell."

After listening to her, the boy was pretty surprised. He never thought about Erza in this way, but Lucy's explanation just caused him to do so. But what made Lucy's suspicions correct was that even though he felt a strong hatred towards the redhead, he still smiled after she spoke.


	15. 15: This Heart Cares

**A/N: Sooo I mistakenly checked out Jellal's page in fairy tail wikia. I don't know why I did... maybe to learn more on how to portray him? Anyways, so let me just tell you that I'm waaaay far behind on the anime, and I didn't even start the manga. I still know quite a lot since I've seen too many spoilers :P Now, I just happened to stumble across the 'JerZa kiss', and it absolutely broke my heart. I kept cursing at the computer for a really long time, but then decided it was no use. After that, I just realized how perfect this was. And so, I watched the GrayZa riverbank scene (even if its for the millionth time, the beauty of it doesn't fail to amaze me) to get more into 'the feel' of this chapter. How, afterwards I kept listening to that sad Fairy Tail main theme and typed up this chapter. I tried my best to make it, I really did! I don't know if I have, since the original scene would always be one I adore and I know I didn't beat it, but I still hope you guys like this :) Now, enough of my rambling. Shoutouts and then the oh-so-awaited GrayZa.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**mcFinnian: Thanks so much :) And your wait is over! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**BuckerooBlondie: Aw, thank you so much! It really means a lot to me :)**

**bella-romeo: Thanks :) And yeshhh the GrayZa starts here!**

**Raikiri80: Thank you! I really am glad :) And all your questions will (hopefully) be answered in this chapter.**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Thank you so much! You're an absolutely lovely reader :) And here's the GrayZa! You can play your song in the third 'xxx' because that's where the scene starts :) AND I LOVE YOU TOO!**

**lucydragneel312: Aw, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you love the rest too :)**

**LaynieCakes: Hehe, glad you do! And thanks :) I tried to make it good enough, so I'm absolutely glad you loved it!**

**And now, let's start the GrayZa :) And sorry to Jellal in advance... even though he is a fictional character. I would've still apologized a lot but seeing that picture just took away my guilt so yeah... sorry not sorry :/**

.

.

.

**Chapter Fifteen: This Heart Cares**

"For the thousandth time Erza; I'm perfectly fine."

"I know, I'm just making sure."

"Well you've been 'making sure' for quite some time now, so I think you have an answer by now. Plus, it's not like he's a murderer."

"You never know."

"Okay just stop!" The young blonde was now furious, mainly because her friend just couldn't get over the hatred she felt for someone who Lucy thought was very kind. "Gray is actually a nice person, and I think it's about time you acknowledge that."

"He might seem nice to you Lucy, but I'm not going to accept anything until I have some real proof." Erza had no fault in this either. Since she had never seen him do anything to label him as 'kind', she wouldn't believe it no matter what.

"And what kind of proof do you need exactly?"

"Any kind of proof that shows he actually cares about anyone but himself."

"What about when Juvia apologized to us?" Lucy had raised a point. "She would never do something like that by herself, so someone must've asked her to."

"You cannot guarantee that someone was Gray."

"Well, who else? You told me yourself you saw her hanging out with Gray, and everyone knows she's been with the Fairy Tail boys."

"It could've been the others as well."

"Fine. Then how about today? When he said all those nice things about Natsu and me? Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I wasn't there Lucy, so I'm not going to believe a word that comes out of your mouth. Unless he shows me that he isn't selfish and arrogant and actually has a heart, my thoughts won't change." The redhead, now absolutely mad on her friend's stupidity, got a hold of her handbag and said before leaving, "I'll be at Jellal's, so I'll probably come back late. Tell Levy I won't be able to make it to the karaoke. Bye."

xxx

_Stupid,_ Erza Scarlet thought while making her way to her boyfriend's house, _just how stupid can Lucy get? I seriously cannot believe she is just _so_ blind. I mean, come on! Gray Fullbuster and kind? Yeah, like that's going to happen. Never in a million years will that guy be classified as 'kind'. He's a heartless, arrogant, self-conceited and absolutely rubbish musician who only cares about himself. Feelings? Nope, he doesn't have them. Ugh! I should stop making my mood worse by thinking about him. It's fine. I'm going to Jellal's, aren't I? He'll make me feel better like he always does, and that's what counts. That _person_ will just be gone after six months, and then he won't even matter. What will matter will be Jellal Fernandes; the one person who loves me, and who I love. He is my future, and we should always look forward to our future, right? Yes, we should. Now I should stop obsessing over an absolutely idiot guy and start thinking about my boyfriend whom I love. Yes, that's what I'm going to do now._

After taking a few deep breaths on the way and thinking about the one she's always loved, Erza Scarlet finally reached her destination. A wide smile spread across on her lips as she was about to ring the bell, but she stopped herself since she heard the noise of something breaking from inside. _Is he okay?_ With this in mind, the girl decided to look through the windows before going in, since he just wanted to make sure just what exactly was going on inside. Finding an uncovered window not very far away, she walked up there and looked, and she nearly wished she hadn't.

Right inside there was her beloved Jellal, _locking lips_ with a girl she didn't recognize. The sight was just so heartbreaking for her that she could feel her chest clench in pain. She had felt this before once and afterwards she promised herself to never have it felt again. But unfortunately, that promise was one she couldn't keep. Right now, she just watched, wishing for Jellal to push her away. But to her horror, he didn't. Instead, he just pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, something she most definitely didn't want to see. But Erza Scarlet still waited, for a whole good of ten seconds, because she had faith in her love. And so, when quite some long time had passed and it still didn't happen, the girl accepted the fact and walked away.

She had lost her love… again.

xxx

Gray Fullbuster was currently in deep thought. Earlier he had met up with his friend's love interest, and he found her to be someone absolutely amazing. He loved how she was so understanding and cared so much about her friend, and thought that someone like her was who his friend needed. However, it was certain words from the girl about a certain someone which kept him so deep in thought. _Erza Scarlet._ The name was one he absolutely disliked, but for a reason it didn't bring such hatred to him now. Lucy sure had told him a lot about Erza, and it made him think about it a lot. Was she really that broken? She did put on a strong face most of the time, but it never occurred to him there might be something behind. Something behind the wall which separated her from the world, allowing no one to actually see her tears and hurt.

_It cannot be,_ he thought, _or can it?_ The boy had started to think about all the times he had met her, in all of which when she was strict and unforgiving without a reason. It almost seemed like she _wanted_ people to hate her. Now, looking back, the boy realized there were plenty of things he didn't notice before. Like the fact that she wanted everyone to dislike her so that no one would think about getting close to her. That was the truth; she was afraid. Like anyone else, the girl was nothing but hurt and scared for more of that. And now that he knew it, his thoughts had really changed.

_It's almost sunset,_ he realized and thought once again to himself, _I guess I should try going in that riverbank Loke suggested. Let's hope the view is as good as I've heard._

And with that thought, the boy set off, smiling to himself the whole way.

xxx

It was the scarlet hair that gave her away. He realized who the figure on that bank was in a heartbeat, because no one else had such beautiful scarlet hair. Two days ago, the word _beautiful_ to describe her would be something he would've laughed at. But now, he could almost say that this word was way too less to compare. And so, the boy stared on ahead, trying to figure out her state before he realized what it was; tears. Erza Scarlet was crying, and even the thought of it made him want to rip the heart out any passerby's chest. He didn't know why, but this strong rage was taking over him when he realized that someone had made her cry. And he hated it, yet loved it at the same time.

Erza, however, didn't notice the boy behind her and kept pouring her heart out. She never thought that such a situation would occur again. She never thought she would be vulnerable again… but she was. And as much as she wanted to blame _him_ for that, her weak little heart loved too much to do so. And so, the girl had no choice then to mourn in the loss of her broken heart.

Gray Fullbuster most certainly didn't like watching this, and so he did whatever came to his mind. "Hey!"

The shout of a familiar voice cause Erza to stop and abruptly turn, making her suspicions correct. He wasn't that far, but still walked a bit forward before stopping. The girl simply stood up and wiped her eyes. _Typical Erza,_ he thought.

"It's you…" her voice was broken due to the heavy crying, and that made Gray's anger rise. "What do you want this time?"

The boy simply studied her, mentally clapping at how well she hid her emotions. "Why are you always by yourself?"

The sudden question made the girl give him a questioning look, before she spoke it aloud, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," he started, "why do you always shut people out? I've noticed you never let anyone go through the armor of yours… why is that? Why must you always think all people will give to you is hurt?"

His questions were surprising, and she almost questioned herself. "I don't do… things like that. I just might not be too social… probably. It's just because… I… I feel uneasy around others. I don't… like the fact of being surrounded too much… and so I like to stay by myself."

The girl simply lowered her head, and he would've almost laughed at the attempt to hide her feelings. "If that's so… then why are you crying all by yourself?"

Her eyes widened as soon as he uttered those words, and her head sharply turned towards him. Was this really the Gray she had known? Was this really the heartless person who didn't know how to feel, how to care, how to… love? Was this new, or had she just never notice it before?

"Its fine," he said, "You can cry all you want today."

For some reason, the warm smile he offered was something she couldn't refuse. And so, she had no idea of what took over her as she rushed into his arms, pouring out her heart once again. But, in the midst of it all – the crying, the pain, the hurt, and the warmth he gave – one thing was certain, one that Erza had realized now.

This heart cared, and they both knew it.


	16. 16: An Arrangement Of Love

**A/N: Okay so recently I just became really really sick. This just came out of nowhere, and right now I'm coughing, vomiting taking medicines and all that. Now, it absolutely sucks to be like this. I shouldn't be on the computer but since you all left such nice reviews and supported me so much, and also since I had it planned till this chapter, I decided to update :) I wrote this chapter in a rush, so forgive me if its not good. Also, I don't have anything for the next chapters planned yet, and since I'm also extremely sick, I probably won't be updating for a while. So you'll have to wait for I don't know how long. Sorry in advance :S**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**Pokie (Guest): Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) And you should write GrayZa, we definitely need more! I'll be looking forward to your stories :) And if you're talking about chapter fourteen, then it was slightly GrayLu. It was more of a Gray and Lucy friendship. Hope that cleared up your confusions!**

**mcFinnian: Aw, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) I put a lot of effort into this chapter, so I'm absolutely thrilled that it lived up to your expectations!**

**bella-romeo: That's pretty cool! Since I can't sing or play any instruments, I am always fangirling when I hear that some people can do these stuff :P And thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) And my thoughts are similar to yours on the JerZa kiss scene, even though I haven't seen it xD**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Hehe, thanks! I love everything about you too :) (Why can't I put a heart here instead?) I hope this chapter is soon enough, even though it doesn't focus much on Gray and Erza, but it is related. And yeshh I made Jellal a cheater here :P Gray's fiance won't be mentioned until future chapters, but I haven't forgotten about her even though the characters might (and kind of have). But, I can assure you she'll be important. However, I won't say if you'll hate or love her ;)**

**LaynieCakes: Hehe, thanks! I'm glad you liked it :) And oh, I see. But they still kissed a little, right? Or something like that? It does sound sad, but I'm just so mean that I'm a bit relieved it was like an almost kiss... I guess.**

**Raikiri80: I hope for that too. And even though it seems like Mashima has completely forgotten about all those absolutely beautiful GrayZa scenes, I still hope he happens to stumble across them one day and decides to put in more GrayZa. I'd just love to see some more of it. It can even be one-sided and indirect for all I care, showing slight hints of Gray having a possible crush on Erza. Anything, even angst will work. But it just doesn't seem like it'll ever happen :/ I'm glad you enjoyed the riverbank adaption! I tried my best to make it good, so I'm glad you've enjoyed it! You won't believe how happy I am right now :)**

**jaxe40: I don't exactly like JerZa either. I don't know why, but I just can't stand the thought of them because of Jellal turning all good and all. I've always shipped GrayZa, and I am not giving up on them. And even though I'm okay with every single ship of Fairy Tail, the only two I hate is JerZa and GrUvia. It's pretty sad, really, seeing just how popular and obvious these two ships are. Either way, I am not going to give up on my ship just because it's not that liked. GrayZa has been and will always be my OTP :)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Sixteen: An Arrangement Of Love**

_Unbelievable._

If you'd ask for how Juvia Lockser was feeling right now, the answer would be that she was absolutely depressed. And why so? Well, recently the young blunette had found out that one of her best friends, Lucy, was starting to get extremely successful in her love life. Even though she met Natsu only a few days ago and started liking him from a short period of time, the girl had already arranged _two_ dates with him and met his friends. Now, this made Juvia become extremely mad since she had liked Gray Fullbuster from way longer, but still stayed behind Lucy. The poor girl had only started to become friends with Gray, while Lucy and Natsu could almost be considered dating. This being too much for her to handle, Juvia came up with another plan which he hoped would be the one to work out, seeing how her previous ones failed miserably. And so, now being in school, the girl set off to find the one person who would be very important in this plan of hers.

While looking for a minute or two and having no luck, the girl almost gave up. But right in that moment a bundle of white hair caught her attention, and she immediately knew who it was. Casually walking in the direction, the girl kept taking deep breaths and praying to God for success in this mission of hers.

Lyon Vastia, the one Juvia was looking for, didn't notice her at first since he was reading a novel, obviously hooked into it. When she was just in front of his table, he still didn't notice, causing the girl to cough twice. When Lyon looked up and realized who it was, he immediately dropped the book and stood up.

"Hey Juvia. Sorry about not noticing earlier, how are you doing?" He had asked. The boy, though he didn't exactly like to admit it, had really started liking this certain blunette who became a good friend of his. From the very start, he had his eyes out for her. And now after getting to know her better, he almost started to think of her as someone more than a friend. Sadly, the girl didn't feel the same, even though he didn't know it.

"Its fine," she smiled, "I'm good. What about you?"

"Perfect. Did you need anything? I'm always there to be of service."

A light chuckle escaped Juvia's lips before she spoke again, "Actually, there was something I was wondering you could help me out with."

"And that would be?"

"Well, we've become quite some good friends now, haven't we?" Lyon simply nodded, obviously happy the girl was acknowledging their friendship. And even though his feelings meant much more than that for her, he was perfectly fine with them being friends for now. After all, the first step to love is friendship, and he really believed that their relationship was capable of so much more than what they had now. Juvia, on the other hand, saw Lyon as nothing more than a friend. Maybe it was because she already lost her heart to someone else that she couldn't see what was in front of her. Or maybe it was because she wasn't aware of how Lyon felt about her that she wasn't able to respond to his feelings. Either way, the girl really didn't want their relationship to go to the next level now, since she was too focused on winning someone else over, and didn't even have a clue about what Lyon really felt for her.

"Right, so," she started, "I'm actually… um, I'm not sure just how I'm going to be saying this but… well, I just wanted to ask if you'd like to… well, go on a date, perhaps."

At the moment she had asked that, Lyon stood dumbfounded. He didn't think that she thought of him like that, and so he was very surprised to get asked out on a date by her. And even though he had strong feelings for her, he still wasn't sure if their relationship was ready for that stage yet. Still, it wouldn't hurt for him to try and see if it works out or not.

When Juvia didn't get an answer for a few seconds, she added something else, "It doesn't have to be just us. Like, a double date, you know. You, me, Gray maybe…"

"Oh." The boy was partially confused on what she meant now, and he didn't know where all this came from, since it was all very sudden for Juvia to ask such questions. "Gray?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean, if he's free, that is."

"Sure, I'll ask him. I don't think he has much work to do anyway, so he'll most likely be free. But who else?"

"What do you mean?" Right now, it was Juvia's turn to be confused, since she didn't have a clue which direction Lyon's questions went to.

"I mean," he started explaining, "Who else to go with us? Like, you said yourself it'll be a double date. So you and me, that I understand. But who's going to go with Gray?"

"Oh," she lightly exclaimed, as if in realization. The girl hadn't planned it this far, since she wasn't even sure Lyon would agree. But now that he did, she had to find out and option real quick. _Think Juvia think. You need to choose someone who wouldn't be the slightest bit of interested in Gray so that you have more chances. But who could it be? Well, anyways you better hurry up! You can't take this long, just say a bloody name!_

But the poor girl was out of options. And as she scrolled through all the options in her mind, it was hard to find the perfect one; one whom she didn't have to compete with since the person wouldn't be at all interested. _Lucy is probably with Natsu, Levy is dating Gajeel, and Mira… well, she's just too sweet. If she takes an interest in him, I won't even stand a chance. But wait… oh my, I have the perfect option! Yes, this person is obviously not interested in him in the slightest, and isn't dating anyone either. And she'll most definitely come to help out a dear friend, right? Yup, the perfect choice! Great job, this is the one Juvia._

"Hey," she smiled, about to voice her suggestion, "how about Erza Scarlet?"


	17. 17: Convince Me If You Can

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! I know some of you will be disappointed by this chapter, but after you're done reading, I promise that the 'thing' you want to see will come next chapter. I just didn't know how to write it and I'm sorry for that. The next chapter might take long and that's because I'll try my best to make it good. Now, let me not ruin anything with an incredibly long and stupid author's note :P**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**pinkkoala213: Haha, I'm glad you did! And I promise you'll see it soon enough :) Thank you! True, Mashima should really pay attention to this couple more since it's so amazing.**

**bella-romeo: Oh my God that's so cool! *fangirling* And thanks! Yup, Juvia is sure is being quite stupid, but she'll realize that soon enough. Or so I think... anyways, thank you again! I'm much better now, so I'll hopefully update soon :)**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Yeshh I know that feeling because I have it all the time :P I'm sorry you had to feel like that but it'll soon disappear xD Your questions will be answered in this chapter, and yes I do go to school on Monday. However, in my country our weekdays are Sunday to Thursday and the weekends are Friday and Saturday.**

**narutardXD: I'm glad you like it! Here's an update :)**

**grayzadportgas: Aw, thank you! I'm extremely happy and honored for that :) And thank you again xD I feel much better now so next chapter won't take much time (hopefully).**

**LaynieCakes: Hehe, thanks! I hope you like this chapter :)**

**GrayZaRocker: Yup, Lucy should be thanked. She is starting to be a GrayZa fangirl after all :P (at least in my story she is) And yes it's starting :V But in Gray's defense, he always cared, just never that much around Erza :D**

**mcFinnian: Yup, Juvia is being very mean, but hopefully not for long. And yes, being sick is absolutely awful. I am getting better though, so I'll be able to write the next chapter soon enough :)**

**Raikiri80: Hehe, thanks! And I'm getting better, so thank you again :) And yes, any kind of GrayZa is great! What happened after the riverbank thingy will be explained here later on. And yes, I've decided to make Lucy that kind of a friend for Gray.**

**GRAYZA . FTW (Guest): Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) And that was just a random girl, not Ultear. A very minor character, but she won't ever be coming around again so yeah...**

**grayza trafguy (Guest): I love GrayZa too! Hope you like the story :)**

**Grayza 4ever (Guest): Aw, thank you! I'm glad you like it :) And don't worry, I won't stop writing this.**

**jaxe40: Yup, but even though Juvia is (kind of) stupid, she's still really important in unknowingly starting the GrayZa.**

**Adorable Reader: Yup, it sure does. And it's good to know that :) I've always liked GrayZa since I found the couple so amazing, and even after Jellal came, I just never found myself to like him because of the sudden character change. Nevertheless, I will agree with the fact that NaLu is currently the best couple of Fairy Tail, since Mashima has made it just so obvious. Here's an update :)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Seventeen: Convince Me If You Can**

"Nope."

"Oh come on, _please?_"

"Nuh-uh."

"Just this once, for your dear little friend?"

"No can do. I don't have time, and with _him?_ You've got to be kidding me."

"It's just… you don't even need to talk to him! Ignore him, okay?"

"What's the point of going on a date if you don't even talk to the person?"

"Why, do you want to talk to him?"

"No! Geez, Juvia, I just… look, I'm not going to go."

"Come on! Don't you want to help me?"

"You'll never get him."

"But I can try! Please, just help me out, okay?"

"For the millionth time; no."

At this point, Juvia Lockser was absolutely frustrated. She had been trying to get Erza to agree to go on the double date with Lyon and Gray since a fairly long time. But, to her dismay, she kept refusing every single time. It surprised the girl by how, even after so long, her friend still managed to say 'no' just like that. But then again, it surprised her friend how the girl could still keep on trying. But the audience wasn't surprised, because this was most certainly expected. And so, Bisca Mulan and Mirajane Strauss just kept on doing their work, ignoring the presence of the two.

"You should've at least thought twice before blurting out my name in front him," Erza told the girl who was now pleading.

"I didn't know what else to say! And he was… well, he was waiting, okay? I just couldn't… please Erza! Or, how about we do this; I talk to Gray while you talk to just Lyon, okay?"

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Yes it is, but I'm mostly doing this for Gray."

"Then you shouldn't keep on using Lyon like this, Juvia. I don't think he deserves it."

"Seriously, you too? You barely even know him! And I've been getting the same crap from Lucy and Levy."

"Has it occurred to you that if everyone is telling you the same thing then there must be a point of it?"

"Yes, but I know what I'm doing, and I'm not _using_ him, okay? He doesn't even like me like that! But let's just not talk about this. Why can't you come to the date?"

"Oh God."

xxx

"No."

"What?"

"I said, no."

"Why not?"

"Because just… no, okay?"

Lyon Vastia was now having a similar problem like Juvia Lockser, as he was trying to convince Gray Fullbuster to go on a double date with Juvia and Erza. And same as the girls' situation, the audience here, which would be Loke and a random janitor, couldn't care less about what was going on. And so, the mission to convince Gray went on.

"But… I thought you liked her!"

"Excuse me?" No sooner than those words had left Lyon's mouth, Gray almost spit out the water he was about to swallow.

"Well, you did see her crying and all in that riverbank." Even though his friend had a point, Gray knew what his feelings were for a certain redhead, and it most certainly wasn't anything romantic. Yes, it was true that he had consoled her in her vulnerability, but that was only because he found out how lonely the girl was and learned to care for her. He let her cry in his shoulders, and then when she quieted down and he was sure she was done; he just gave her a warm smile before simply leaving. She didn't follow him, and he didn't expect her to either. She was, after all, Erza Scarlet.

"Unlike you, I don't simply fall in love with a girl if I find her crying."

"Oh come on, it's not like that! I know a lot more about Juvia, and I really like her. Not because of the crying thing. But seriously, just help me out?"

"No."

"It's just for a dear friend of yours."

"No way. And has it ever crossed your mind of what my fiancé will think?"

"I know she won't mind. You both are a crazy couple, and you never care who the other is hanging out with. I mean, have you even talked to her in the past three months?"

"I just did a few days ago, when you met Juvia that other night."

"Okay, but that was after three months. Still, if you want to be sure, then I can call and ask her for you."

"That's not the problem. The thing is; I don't _want_ to go."

"Please? Just for me."

"Nope."

"Come on, only for a little while?"

"No way in hell."

xxx

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because it'll be the same this time."

"I'll make sure it isn't."

"Oh come on," Lucy whined once again, "have a little faith!"

"Luce, it's always turning out the same, so there's no use of going through the same process again." Natsu Dragneel had a point in what he said. Right now, his girlfriend (yes, they were finally official) was trying to convince him to give a shot to a date of theirs again. However, he wasn't too fond of this idea since they had tried this two times before, and it failed every time in one way or the other.

"Fine," the girl finally agreed, giving up. "But we will try sometime later, okay?"

"Yeah sure, whatever."

"Oh, I also had to ask you something."

"I'm all ears."

"Do you know Juvia and Lyon are going on a double date with Gray and Erza?"

"Gray and _who?_"

"Erza."

"I thought he hated her."

"I thought so too, but guess not. Anyways, I managed to get details about their date!"

"Fantastic," the boy said sarcastically, obviously not interested. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Well," Lucy started, "I know that their double date will obviously be a disaster, so I've decided to help them!"

"Of course, because Lucy Heartfilia is the ultimate mastermind in saving people's dates."

For a second, the girl playfully glared at her boyfriend, but then continued, "So as I was saying, I'm going to save this date from being such a disaster. And that's why we will be joining them!"

"I don't think a 'triple date' exists."

"Whatever, we're going there."

"Why exactly?"

"To help them, because they are our friends."

"It's their problem, not ours."

"Doesn't matter, we'll be going as spies to secretly help them! Now, do I need to ask you to go to that date again?"

Natsu simply groaned, "Don't start."


	18. 18: The Date Which Doesn't Make Sense

**A/N: Dun dun dun! Okay so like many of you, I'm super excited about this chapter xD I really hope you like it because I put in a lot of effort on this one. This chapter will, hopefully, satisfy many of the NaLu fans :) That's because NaLu is just too adorable and amazing! Now, I won't ruin much for you, but I'll post the next chapter as soon as my confusion is over. Believe it or not, but in the middle of this I was so very confused, and then realized what I just wrote. Don't worry, I won't rant anymore, but feel free to leave reviews!**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**narutardXD: Haha, I'm glad you think so! Hope this lives up to your expectations, even though the end will probably leave you wondering what happens next :P**

**mcFinnian: Thank you! Glad to know that :) And yes, poor Lyon. But hopefully the sad stuff doesn't come around much since I tried to make this chapter really fluffy and humorous. Tell me if I achieved that or not ;)**

**setakohotori11: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, and hope the NaLu here is better :)**

**BuckerooBlondie: That's true, they always do make it worse. But I'm super happy you still like this!**

**bella-romeo: Ooooh that still sounds awesome to me :P And here's an update :) I hope the date lives up to your expectations!**

**Fairytailsfanshelly: Yup, they sure are! And wanna know what happens for the NaLu in this chappy? Hehe, you'll have to read it to find out ;)**

**Raikiri80: Yeah, they were :P And yes, mostly dates like these always turn out a disaster. But I won't spoil anything for you! Your questions will hopefully be answered here :) And thank you! I'm much better now, and I'll post the next chapter soon enough (I hope).**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Aw, thanks! And yes, you'll find out all of it in here :) I would also be with Gray 24/7! But the main reason his fiance isn't is because I don't want to guys to find out who she is yet :P Anyways, I LOVE YOU TOO! And here's the update, so I hope you enjoy it :)**

**LaynieCakes: Thank you! And yesh, they finally are :) Hehe, that didn't sound so weird because I also feel like that sometimes :P Thank you again, and hope this chapter is even better :)**

**grayzadportgas: Yeshhh they most certainly are ;) I was actually writing the chapter when you reviewed xD When I finished and checked FF I was like, "Oh look, new reviews! How surprised will they be when they see I updated right after they read it?"**

**GrayZaRocker (Guest): Yup, Juvia is quite smart at times like these ;) I hope you enjoy the actual date!**

.

.

.

**Chapter Eighteen: The Date Which Doesn't Make Sense**

As one can see, two youngsters of their opposite genders, one pinkette and one blonde, were now standing not so far away from a beautiful restaurant. The building was one-storey high and had large glass windows around. Decorated in elegant lightning along with fancily trimmed hedges out front, an entire article could be written about the beauty of the place. The inside was well-decorated too; with organized chairs and tables, mopped floors, and walls with pictures and antiques hung around. The two who were looking from outside were now fascinated, and the girl had a huge grin on her face.

"Let's go!" Lucy said enthusiastically, obviously excited about the whole thing. Natsu, on the other hand, simply groaned, not at all pleased with this entire situation.

"I don't want to."

"Well, you have to."

"No, I don't."

"Just hush. Come on, let's go inside."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"They're our friends! For them, at least?"

"No."

"You know this is for the best."

"No."

"You know it'll help them."

"No."

"You know that you're lucky to be dating me."

"No."

"No?"

"Wait, what?" The boy now looked back at what she had said, and his eyes widened at the realization as he tried to explain himself. "No! I mean, yes. But no, not like that! I mean… I mean… This thing… I just thought… No like I didn't… When you said I thought you were… I was not paying attention. But no! Not like I never pay attention to you–"

Lucy simply chuckled, finding the situation hilarious, because it was. But her boyfriend didn't notice that and just continued to try and make some sense out of his gibberish talking.

"–and I thought you were talking about Gray and Erza and Lyon and Juvia and oh my God what am I saying? It's just that it never ticked my mind that you could be talking about us because you were… um… it's like I was paying attention but not but then it–"

When the girl stopped laughing, she saw that he was still going at it. And so, to stop him from talking, she simply leaned forward and let their lips contact.

The kiss was short, but still enough for Natsu to get the message. The girl didn't do much; she simply slid her lips over his, eyes fully closed. It was safe to say that this was Lucy's first ever kiss, and whenever she used to think about it, she would always get nervous. However, it really surprised her how there was no nervousness this time at all. Yes, her heart was beating against her chest at the thought of actually doing this, but she was still at ease. Mainly it was because of the fact that it was Natsu she was kissing, and the fact that she was absolutely crazy about him, which would be mostly why she felt like she was enjoying this. She could almost feel his breath on her as he responded, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. And when his tongue was gliding across her lips, begging for entrance, she simply kept it close before pulling away. It took both of them a while to catch their breaths, and when they did, Natsu was just about to ask her what happened before she beat him to it.

"We're getting late. Let's go inside." The girl simply smiled before setting off for the door, leaving behind an extremely shocked pinkette. But after some while when he realized what just happened, he simply groaned before following his girlfriend inside.

As expected, the restaurant was beautiful inside and out. When Lucy and Natsu finally spotted their hunts, they took a seat on the opposite aisle of them, carefully watching while covering their faces with the menu. While Lucy was excited beyond belief about this situation, Natsu really couldn't care less.

As for the other side, things weren't going so well there too. It was practically only Juvia and Lyon who were talking, trying to get their friends to interact more. They were pretty surprised when they finally agreed to come, but it turned out the both weren't as heartless as expected. After hours of convincing with some emotional blackmail, the fact came by that they had nothing better to do. And so, Erza and Gray finally gave in, which was truly a shock. As for now, they wished they hadn't, because the situation was awkward enough as it was.

Lyon and Juvia made small talk, occasionally adding humorless jokes to get the other two to light up, but failing at it miserably. The two only uttered expressionless and sarcastic 'ha-ha's, while sometimes not uttering any words at all. They didn't even look at each other from the moment they entered the building. Obviously, after their kind but embarrassing night a few days ago, they weren't expected to converse. And so, the both looked all around the building, either admiring the outdoor interior or staring at the clock, just letting their eyes wander off to anywhere but the other's.

"So," Juvia tried an awkward attempt to start a conversation, "how are you doing, Gray?"

"Fine." The boy didn't bother to ask her the same, because they all knew that he could be anywhere but here.

"Anything interesting about the student council lately, Erza?" Lyon had tried, same as Juvia, to at least start _something,_ but failed as well.

"No," was the only answer from the redhead, as she sat grumpily. And after that, all four of them fell into an awkward silence, praying for something to save them.

As Natsu and Lucy observed – scratch that, as _only Lucy_ observed, since Natsu was obviously disinterested, she could only feel bad for the four.

"See!" she told her boyfriend who didn't care at all, "I told you it would be a disaster! Those poor things. Can you believe how they absolutely cannot make this work at all? Damn! And _that_ is the reason they need me."

"Luce, you're only going to make it worse, trust me. We still haven't ordered, so we can get out. Think about it," Natsu had suggested, to which the determined blonde only shook her head.

"No! We are going to save this date of theirs. At least, _I_ am." When a waited was passing by, the girl only called out to him. "Excuse me; can I have a pen and paper? Thanks!"

After some while when the waiter came back with what was requested, the girl simply tore her paper into four parts and wrote some things on it. Natsu simply looked over, trying to see what the girl was up to, but couldn't understand anything she wrote. When done, the girl simply folded the papers and gave them to the waiter and instructing him who to deliver them to.

"And what are you doing this time?" Natsu had asked when the girl was all bubbly and smiles.

"Just wait, it'll come into action soon enough," she smirked. But, what the poor girl didn't know, was that once again, another plan would get jumbled up. Literally.

xxx

After a while, when the orders were almost about to come, Juvia told Gray and Lyon that she and Erza will be going to the restroom to freshen up, dragging her friend along. At that time, Lucy was simply squealing and going on about how her plan starts here to Natsu, who had no choice than to listen. Once both the girls were inside the room, two folded pieces of papers were delivered to them as they read it out to themselves.

_From Gray,_ Juvia's one read, and immediately she could feel the inner fan girl within herself get excited. But as the girl unfolded the paper, she could only get even more confused. _I'm sorry for what happened,_ it had said. Now, the girl kept on looking back at all the times she met Gray and tried to remember if anything wrong had ever occurred. _'What' happened?_

Meanwhile, Erza had no luck out of her confusion either as she read her folded paper which was titled 'From Lyon'. _Hey,_ it had said, _how about we leave the other two alone for a while and go on a walk?_

"A _what?_" she had intentionally said aloud, catching the attention of her blue haired friend.

"What's wrong?" Juvia asked, now even more confused.

"Nothing," Erza had simply replied. Earlier, the girl thought that Lyon liked her friend, but then why would he want to go on a walk with her? But maybe, he did like Juvia, but still wanted her to be with Gray like in some twisted one-sided lover's mind? However, the girl was now confused, but the same could be said for everyone.

Meanwhile, the boys had no luck with their papers either. Lyon had gotten one from Erza stating that she was 'sorry' for apparently something that happened. Now, this was their first meeting ever, so what could happen? As for Gray; well, he was confused too. He got a note from Juvia suggesting leaving the other two alone and going on a walk. It was sudden, and he was also confused because he thought that Juvia was on a date with Lyon. _What on earth is happening here?_

Let's move on to Lucy and Natsu, if we shall. Those two, oblivious of the confusion spreading, kept munching on at their meal. When Juvia and Erza had returned, Lucy quickly turned to see what was happening. Instead of what she expected, Lyon simply took out his wallet and handed some money to the waiter, whispering something in his ear. Afterwards, they all stood up and left the restaurant. And so, the confusion was now in this table as well.

"Natsu," Lucy started, "what's going on? Why are they all leaving? Only Juvia and Lyon are supposed to leave, and Gray and Erza are supposed to stay back. What's happening here? What went wrong? Oh, we have to find out!"

And with that being said, the girl simply grabbed her boyfriend's collar and started running with him out the door, thus starting the madness.


	19. 19: Three Simple Walks

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long, but I won't make you all even madder with a pointless author's note. It's just that school was hard and I was suffering from writer's block :S A lot of other things happened which I won't mention, but here's the chapter (at last!). My most favorite character is introduced here who I'm sure everyone loves, right? Anyways, for that character, I LOVE YOU! Yeah, you'll reach to him/her later in this chappy.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Okay, coolness overload! Did you get the electric guitar? On a scale from 100 to 100, how awesome is it? ;) Yesh, Lucy's plans don't always work out that well :P But I'm glad you liked it! Sorry the update took so long :(**

**grayzadportgas: Hehe, yup! It always make it worse :P**

**mcFinnian: Thank you! I'm glad you think so :) And yesh, that's our typical Lucy ;) Geez, this chapter took reaaaaaally long. I seriously didn't expect so much, and I'm sorry to keep you waiting! No promises but I'll try to make the next chapter more early.**

**pinkkoala213: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) Yup, poor them. This chapter will have some GrayZa. It was slightly rushed, but I hope its still good enough :)**

**Raikiri80: Mhm, I think so too. NaLu is just perfect! And Gray and Erza are going to ****_start_**** to get together well... or so I think. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter :)**

**narutardXD: Yeah, pretty stupid of her :P**

**CelestialTitania (Guest): Thank you! I'm so glad :) And thank God we have more GrayZa shippers! I'll gladly read your story :) Lack of GrayZa is very true.**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Yes, pretty confusing. Even I was confused :P Sorry the update took so long! Hopefully, next one won't :) And since I don't really like OCs, Gray's fiance is from the anime. Feel free to guess who she is, even though I won't tell you ;)**

**Medelie: Haha, yes :P And thank you! It's sad that you don't have more thumbs :( But, enjoy this chapter ;)**

**Sandra Chan 07: Glad you do :)**

**Guest: Aw, I'm so sorry this took so long! Here it finally is, hope you like it :)**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: Hehe, kind of :P But here's an update to satisfy your needs :)**

**Guest: I'm extremely sorry for the wait, but here it is! Hope you like the GrayZa :)**

**Chapter Nineteen: Three Simple Walks**

Crazy; that would be the one word you could use to describe this entire situation. It had all started with a fairly simple date, but somehow everything managed to get jumbled up. And when I say everything, I do mean _everything._ Right now, three different situations could be shown, but let's focus on them one-by-one.

On the first situation, we can see a certain blonde and pinkette walking around, desperately looking for some certain people. Or we could say that it was only the blonde looking for some people, while the pinkette simply trailed behind, bored as usual. If you were wondering how these two got left behind, then there's a not-so-long story behind it. What happened was; after Lucy grabbed Natsu's collar and made a mad dash for the door, the two got caught by the guards of the restaurant. Afterwards, Natsu had to waste a lot of time explaining to them that they were not running away without paying, and also had to pay the bill for food they couldn't even eat. Now, all this explaining took quite some time. And as much as Lucy wanted, she couldn't leave without Natsu. When they finally could leave, the blonde found out she had lost her friends. And so, along with her boyfriend, she kept on frantically looking for four certain people.

Now, if we move on to the second situation, we can see a very strange couple. Yes, we are talking about Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster. How did these two get together when the four left at the same time? Well, there's also a not-so-long story behind it. When the four had left together, Lyon whispered to Gray that he 'wanted to spend some time alone with Juvia'. Now, those two _were_ the ones on a date, so it did make perfect sense. And so, after what Lyon told him, Gray got a hold of Erza's hand, told her he wanted to show her something, and ran off immediately, much to everyone else's surprise. When they were far enough from the other two, both of them were panting due to the running, as it is shown now.

And now, the third and final situation, where we can see Lyon Vastia and Juvia Lockser. Do we really need to go over the story? I guess not. And so, these two kept on walking together, since Lyon offered to drop her home, much to Juvia's displeasure since it wasn't Gray.

Let's step away from the screen a bit, and what do we see? A weird combination of three absolutely weirder couples, whom we are sure can never stand a night together without something going wrong. I guess it's safe to say this is a call for disaster.

xxx

"So," Lyon had started, as an attempt to start a conversation and break the awkward silence which was obviously in between them. "Where do you stay at, exactly?"

"Huh? Oh," It took a while for the girl to understand what he was saying, since she wasn't paying attention. "I live in the female dormitories the school has, you know. It's not far, just some blocks away from the campus. All you have to do is go right."

"Ah, okay I see. I didn't know the school provided such facilities."

"You didn't? Well, it's been here for some while now, even though I don't know how long. I joined last year, but the school's been here for a longer time, I've heard."

"I see. Wait, you joined last year?" Lyon had asked, since he wasn't aware of the fact.

"Oh," Juvia had uttered out of realization over the fact of how she never told him, but she still simply smiled. "I guess I forgot to tell you. I used to go to Phantom High before, but due to some problems there I transferred. A close friend of mine also came with me. His name is Gajeel Redfox, but I don't believe I've told you about him either. Well, he's Levy's boyfriend, if that rings a bell?"

"Levy McGarden? Oh, right, you've talked about her, and so has Natsu."

"Natsu?" Juvia was now slightly confused as she didn't think Natsu Dragneel ever even talked with Levy, so what could he possibly say about her? "Why would Natsu talk about Levy?"

"Well, he joined the drama club, didn't he? They're apparently supposed to have this musical based on Romeo and Juliet."

"Romeo and Juliet? Seriously Mira, how cliché," she had said, interrupting him in the middle. However, he did agree with the slight lack of creativity, but continued nonetheless.

"Anyway," Lyon spoke again, "So yeah, they'll be having this musical. Now, Natsu is going to be playing Romeo in the play, and the person playing Juliet is going to be Levy, the friend of yours."

"Oh? I didn't know that. Poor Lucy."

"She sure is."

"What will she be playing though?"

The boy thought back to when Natsu and he had this conversation, which was a long time ago and so he didn't remember much. "I think he said something about her working backstage."

"I see," Juvia had said. And with that, their night went smoothly, with simple conversations as they kept going on their way.

xxx

"Are we done yet, Luce? I'm pretty sleepy, why don't I just drop you home?"

"No," the determined girl spoke back to her tired boyfriend, "I _will_ find those four and find out just how my perfect plan went wrong. This is not even possible!"

"Maybe the waiter delivered the papers wrong?"

"That's not possible! I even wrote whom it was fo–" Now that Lucy thought back to how she delivered the notes, she realized that even though she put 'from' on them, she didn't address who they were 'to'. And so, realizing the loophole in this plan of hers, the girl simply sighed, accepting defeat. "Never mind, it was my mistake."

"Hey, now don't go all sulking. Just because one plan of yours didn't work doesn't mean the others won't either. After all, you just wanted this date of theirs to work right."

"But it didn't, all thanks to me."

"Okay, look no–" Out of a sudden, Natsu had stopped in what he was about to say since he spotted a certain something. The young boy's eyes widened as his girlfriend looked in his direction to try and figure out what he was so amazed about. On looking that way, the girl noticed that a small blue – yes, _blue_ – cat was aimlessly wandering a few steps ahead from them. When Lucy was about to ask her boyfriend what was so amusing about this, the boy simply cheered and ran in the direction of the creature that caught its attention. Lucy trailed behind as they both sat on their knees. Surprisingly, the cat didn't run away. Instead, it sat down and carefully watched the crazy duo.

"Oh my God Luce, I've always wanted a cat!"

"A _what_?"

"A cat!" The girl found it quite hard to believe of how mad this boy could be. Certainly, he wasn't just going to adopt this cat he found of nowhere, right?

"YOU ARE MINE!" He had screamed out, frightening his girlfriend. The cat, however, simply meowed and ran towards the boy, happy to have found someone like him, much to Lucy's shock.

"Hold on a second," she said, once everything was registered into her mind. "You are _not_ adopting a cat."

"Why not?" Natsu pouted. What could be wrong about getting something you always wanted?

"Because… because… no one just adopts a cat out of nowhere! And this is a stray one; you don't ever know what germs it has or what diseases come from its scratches! And also, you have to finalize things with Hilda."

"I don't need to finalize anything. It's _my cat_, not a new drummer for the band."

"What are you even impl–"

"I'll call you ThunderBolt!" The boy simply cheered, ignoring his girlfriend completely, causing her to groan in defeat.

"Fine! If you're going to keep a cat, it should at least have a proper name. Like… Snowflake!"

"Ew," he grimaced, "Ravenclaw sounds way better!"

"Muffin!"

"Speed!"

"Tiara!"

"Titan! Blaze!"

"Whiskers! Giggle!"

"Ace! Alpha!"

"Hershey! Sammy!"

"Mercedes!"

"Mercedes?" Lucy questioned, confused about the suggestion.

"Yeah," Natsu had replied, "then I can brag to people about my Mercedes!"

For a while, the girl looked at him weird, but then started suggesting names again. "Cuddles!"

"Zeus!"

"Buzz! Cottonball!"

"Shadow! Vladimir!"

"Name it Happy," a different voice spoke up. When the both looked behind, they could see a faint shadow of a girl nearby disappearing.

"Creepy," Lucy commented, "But not bad."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed, "It _does_ look happy. You know, with the big eyes and all."

"Hm, I say we put it into consideration."

"Nope," Natsu had smiled brightly as he looked down at his new friend and held him up. "Welcome to the family, Happy!"

xxx

"What was that?" The redhead questioned once they both stopped panting, to which the boy didn't reply. Instead, Gray just straightened up and kept walking ahead, making her extremely furious. And so, the girl kept running up to him, screaming out his name.

"What?" The boy abruptly stopped, making her stop as well. Looking up at him, she simply cleared her throat before speaking.

"What did you want to show me?"

"Nothing," he replied, and continued walking. First, the girl stood dumbfounded. Didn't he say that he had something to show her? And now he was refusing the fact? That didn't make sense now, did it? And so, she once again ran behind him, and started asking some more questions.

"What do you mean? You said it back then, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that was only because Lyon wanted some time alone with Juvia, and I needed an excuse to get us out of the picture."

"Oh," the girl simply said. Then, after some while, she realized a fact. "Hey," she spoke once again, "I don't think Lyon should… be after Juvia so much, you know."

"Why? You got a crush on him, Ms. Scarlet?" Gray had teased.

"What? No, Mr. _Fullbuster_."

"Well, he is a fairly handsome guy an–"

"So are you." As soon as those words left her mouth, Erza Scarlet almost slapped herself. Did she really just say that to him? Up until now, she didn't even consider him as someone good looking. But now that she thought about it, it wasn't all that wrong. Gray _did_ look good, after all.

Hearing what she had said, the boy was stunned, but then cracked up a smile. "So do you have a crush on _me_?"

"What? Where on earth did you get that from? _No_, I don't."

"Well, I don't blame you. I know just how irresistible I can get."

"Cocky much? And aren't you supposed to have a girlfriend?" As she said the second question, his smile disappeared. Erza had noticed that, and wondered what exactly was wrong till she guessed something. "Oh… um, sorry."

"No, its fine," he assured her.

"I'm still… I didn't know you two had problems and all th–"

"We don't," he harshly cut her off. At that exact moment, Gray looked extremely mad for reasons she wasn't quite sure of. And she had never seen him like this. True, they were always angry with each other, but not in such seriousness. This, on the other hand, seemed much more complicated.

Noticing her silence, Gray simply sighed. "Look, I didn't mean to sound like that. Sorry."

"Its fine," she simply said, and it surprised them both at how she was so understanding all of a sudden.

"It's just that… well, we don't talk much."

"She is busy a lot?"

"We both are. I mean, we've always been busy for the things we do. And it wasn't until now that I have no recordings to worry about or tours to take care of or practices to do that I realized how less we really spend time together."

"Oh." She wasn't really sure of what to say. Would she feel sorry for him, or would that make matters worse? She didn't know. And so, for once, Erza Scarlet stayed quiet. She stayed quiet and listened to his problems for the whole night as they walked. After all, he had done the same for her a few nights back. And other than that, she still had _wanted_ to listen to what he had to say. From his girlfriend to the fame to his deceased mother even. She just… stayed. And that was because she cared too.


	20. 20: The Reason For The Wait

**A/N: Quick update! But I'm not really in a mood to write and stuff and don't wanna bore you either, so yeah. Enjoy :)**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: How much more awesome can you get? :P Glad you liked it! Yessh Happy ;) And also, you're right about that. As much as I love his fiance's anime character, she's kinda in the middle of GrayZa. But oh well! Hope you like this chapter!**

**mcFinnian: Thank you! And yup, our legendary and absolutely awesome Happy :)**

**Medelie: She most certainly is!**

**narutardXD: Haha, thanks! I think so too, since the couple is just amazing (heart sign, though I can't put one -.-)**

**Raikiri80: Yeah, he did :P Obviously since cats don't talk. But Happy is an Exceed, not a cat O.o Either way, since 'Exceeds' don't (sadly) exist, he won't talk ;( I'm glad you liked the GrayZa :) And Lucy will probably notice. And in a very twisted way, it did :)**

**Chapter Twenty: The Reason For The Wait**

Natsu Dragneel most definitely didn't think over about his plan to adopt a cat. Because if he had, then he most definitely would give it some second thoughts.

"Natsu! Your cat peed on my specially imported handmade Persian rug from PERSIA!"

"Now who's going to clean this cat's shit, huh?"

"DID THAT CAT JUST TEAR OFF MY RED UNDERWEAR?"

"No! Happy! Stop! That vest is a limited edition from Germany!"

"Would this creature stop stealing my milk already?"

"HE TORE OFF MY FREAKING GUITAR STRINGS!"

"No way. Don't you dare touch that vase you son of another cat! It is a gift from my fiancé and she got it from Poland!"

"Is that my biscuit he's eating? Oh, we're so on!"

"Do not tell me he messed up my bed, AGAIN! NATSU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, WILL YOU?"

As the complains about Happy went on, Natsu simply sighed and kept doing his work. He was slightly starting to regret this decision, but Happy was now his family. And despite how crazy your family is, you always put up with them, just like he had with the rest of them.

xxx

"You guys are so mean!" Levy McGarden had told her three friends as they now sat in a cafeteria table for lunch.

"What do you mean?" Juvia asked her, munching on her sandwich.

"What I mean is, you guys had a 'triple date' or something with the Fairy Tail guys and didn't even invite me and Mira!"

"Triple?" Erza had asked, and that was when Lucy started coughing and almost spit out her food. "Oh my, now I get it. Those notes… so Lucy, it was _you_ who di–"

"Lucy!" Mirajane exclaimed, interrupting Erza since she understood what was happening and wanted to save Lucy from a scolding. "Where is Natsu today? I don't see him anywhere. And the other boys aren't to be seen either. Since you're his girlfriend, I assumed you should know."

For a while, the girl gulped down a glass of water and calmed down before answering. "Natsu and the others and moving."

"Moving?" Juvia had questioned since she didn't know of such a plan from Lyon. It slightly hurt her that he didn't tell her a lot about him, but then quickly mentally slapped herself, reminding that it wasn't Lyon who she should be thinking about but Gray instead.

"Actually," Lucy started with her explaining, "They are here for six months. Obviously, they cannot stay in a hotel for that long. So they've been staying in that hotel till they bought themselves a house to reside it. Hilda, their manager, has recently got a house for them and has sent their furniture for them. They're decorating and settling everything in. It'll take two days, I suppose. They cannot afford to waste any time since the house is pretty big and has a lot of work. Clubs are today and so I couldn't help Natsu, and we also have homework. I have the address so I'll try to spare some time tomorrow since I'm pretty sure they will spend more time arguing than settling in. If you guys want, you can come with me."

"That sounds awesome!" Mira exclaimed.

"Count me in," Levy had smiled.

"I'll… help," Juvia said, not too enthusiastically. The reason was because after Lucy's explanation, she realized just how little she knew about Lyon when she considered them to be great friends. But then again, Lucy met Natsu earlier and was his girlfriend, after all. For some reason, even though she knew this, there was this feeling inside which told her how much of a failure she was as a friend. And not just any friend, _Lyon's_ friend.

"I'm not sure," Erza told them, "I have so much work to do."

"Oh, come on!" Mirajane told her. "It'll be fun! And you can finish the work today to help them tomorrow. Don't you want to see if Lucy's boyfriend is good enough for her? It's your duty as a friend!"

"Exactly!" Levy added. "We never met Natsu, and Gray already met Lucy and approved of her. We can't be far behind them!"

"It's not a competition guys, does it really matter?" Erza had a point in what she said, but none of them were willing to listen.

"It does matter! Don't you care for Lucy?" Mirajane had tried, with emotional blackmail now. "We need to find out if her new boyfriend is a scumbag or not!"

"Natsu Dragneel is _not_ a scumbag, okay?" Erza had defended. To be honest, Mirajane knew everything about that. It wasn't that she had something against Natsu. In fact, she found him amazing and was already happy that her friend got such a guy. The real reason she wanted to convince Erza to go was so that she could 'spice up her relationship' with a certain Gray Fullbuster.

"But still," Levy said, who wanted the same, "we need to find out!"

"Actually, I'd love it if you guys showed some care for me." Lucy entered the conversation, now also trying to get Erza to go for the same reason. "And those poor guys need help. They're from our school, and you're the student council president whose job is to help the fellow students. Why can't you just help them this time? Please, Erza?"

"Um, I think you should come. It'll be fun," Juvia unknowingly said. She wasn't aware of the real reason the others wanted her to come, but just decided to say something since everyone else was.

"Okay, fine; I'll come," Erza finally gave in, and the table was in cheers. Little did she and Juvia know what was really going on.

xxx

"Okay guys, listen up," Mirajane told her two friends as they gathered up in front. The first bell signaling end of lunch had just rung and Erza and Juvia already ran off to classes. Since they still had about fifteen minutes till the next and final bell, Mirajane decided to go over her plan with Lucy and Levy. "The thing is, we're trying to set them up, right?"

Two small nods caused her to continue as she did, "Okay, so the love story is so cliché and complicated. However, we're done with you and Natsu, Lucy. Now we need to set up the other two. The thing is, if Gray and Erza get together, Lyon and Juvia automatically do too, and vice versa. So we'll try to focus on both, but since Gray and Erza are easier, we'll try to do them first, after which Lyon and Juvia will just get together by themselves. So as much as you can, try to make Erza do things including her and Gray alone. The more they get more alone time, the more our plan goes ahead. So just push them towards each other, okay?"

Once again, both of them nodded and Mira simply smiled. Then, they all excitedly started discussing about how they were going to go on with this epic plan.

The wait was just for tomorrow.


	21. 21: What Could Have Happened

**A/N: Okay, so I'm really excited about this chapter, which is why I'll zip up and let you read it. Hope you like it :)**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Np ;) And yesh, I'm aware, even though Mira isn't :O**

**Kyria Tsukiyo: Here's an update :)**

**Raikiri80: Yup, it's just sad we don't have Happys and Carlas and Pantherlilys around here ;( However, yes Juvia is getting closer to Lyon :V And obviously, Mira has to be the best matchmaker there ever exists ;)**

**Megamewgirl: Haha, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much :) And you will or will not find out who the fiance is soon enough :D Great guesses, though!**

**mcFinnian: Hehe, yup! Happy sure is awesome!**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Thank you! Yes, its a GrayZa story along with LyVia and NaLu, so these pairings are the ones this will end with :P And you'll find out next chapter why exactly they haven't told the other boys yet.**

**narutardXD: Yup, she most certainly is!**

**Medelie: Hehe, here's the next chapter! Though I'm pretty sure you'll be waiting for the next one now :P But anywho, thanks and enjoy this :)**

**Chapter Twenty One: What Could Have Happened**

"No! Stop! It's the other way around!" a pinkette screamed out to his friend.

"Shut it you smartass, it's this way and I know it," the orange haired boy retorted.

"It's not, you moron! Turn it around!" the boy said once again, while his other two friends didn't bother to get in the argument.

"No, I'm doing it correctly!"

"You're not!"

"I know that I am, okay?"

"You're not and I can prove it by–" In the middle of his sentence, the doorbell had suddenly rang, causing them all to turn to it. Natsu, however, was the one who cheered before anyone else and ran to it. As soon as he had opened the door, he was ecstatic to find out that it was indeed his girlfriend he was waiting for, and hugged her immediately. Lucy didn't know how to react, but then simply smiled and hugged him back.

"Thank God you guys are finally here!" Natsu had exclaimed once they broke off and led them in. "Guys, I've got Lucy and her friends here to help us shift!"

The boys were slightly surprised at the help, but welcomed them nonetheless. Lyon, being the gentlemen and actually eldest of them all, had offered for a few refreshments. Even after they refused, he still insisted and went to get some for them, with Natsu complaining in the middle for not getting one himself.

"We're glad you all are here," Loke had said, "since we can use just so much of help right now seeing how messed up the place is."

And he was right; the place _was_ messed up. As Lucy had guessed, the boys spent too much time arguing and being lazy than actually moving furniture around. A lot of things were around just like that, and there were opened boxes everywhere. There were untouched ones too, but those took about four individual rooms in the down floor and three more upstairs for themselves. The room occupancy wasn't such a big deal seeing just how big their house was. Still, it was sad of how less work they did in one day. And if it kept going on like this, then they would have to skip even more days of school. Perhaps the whole week, even, and Lucy most certainly didn't want that.

After a while of their observation, Gray started speaking. "Okay so, the kitchen is done and right now we're working on the living area. The TV will be put up later, we're just setting up the couches and in this area," he pointed to somewhere certain, "we will put the dining. Basically we weren't doing much. Natsu and Loke have been getting the seats and tables while Lyon and I are putting up wall decorations. Since a lot of people are here, we can multitask by doing a lot at once. Natsu and Loke should keep on moving the furniture. Lucy – you can do the wall decorations, we don't need a lot of people for that, but anyone can still join her."

"I'll help with that," Levy said.

"We still need people for the dining," Natsu had said, while he and Loke were still doing their work.

"We don't need a lot of people for that, just one or two of you can do it. I'll be setting up my room then," Gray told them, picking up two boxes and setting for upstairs.

"Gray!" Mirajane screamed out of a sudden, causing her to get everyone's attention. "Uh, do you need anyone to help you with that? I mean, not a lot of people have to do one work."

"Oh. No, I'm fine."

"But still!" she insisted. "Um, Erza! She can help you with this!"

"_What?_" the redhead couldn't believe what her friend what suggesting. Would it really be a good idea to leave her and Gray alone?

"Yes! Juvia and I will manage with this. And, there's Lyon too. So instead of Erza just standing here, she can help you," Mira said.

"I agree," Levy joined, "It does make sense."

"Its fine," Gray told them, "I'll manage."

"No, Gray," Lucy had now started, "She does make sense. And it's just helping each other, that's what she's here to do. I don't really see a problem."

"I guess you can take her help," Natsu said, clueless of what was really going on. Loke, however, did catch in on what they were actually planning, which was why he was quiet and thinking about it. Juvia had now also started to guess on it, and so the girl just stood frozen, hurt by the betrayal once again.

"Um, okay?" the raven haired boy hesitated.

"Great!" Mira exclaimed. "Go on, Erza!"

But the student council president was now furious that they didn't even ask her before deciding. Anyhow, the girl simply trailed behind him out of politeness as they worked on their way up.

_Perfect,_ was the only thought which went through the minds of Lucy, Levy, and Mirajane. But nobody knew about the scene which would cause later by a certain blunette.

xxx

"Um, this is awkward," Erza had said after some while of them moving things around in Gray's new room. Right now, she was setting up his desk while he was dusting the wall light on top of it. The lighting and furniture – like the desk, chair, bed, and bookshelf – were there from earlier, so they just had to fix some lighter items and all.

"Well, you did offer to help," Gray told her.

"Actually, I didn't."

"What?" the boy was now confused, since he most certainly didn't ask for her to be here.

"Mira suggested this, I never agreed or offered."

"Oh," the boy realized now that he thought back. "Well, then I guess I'm sorry."

"It's fine, this is not that bad, you know."

"Hm, is that because you're with your crush?"

"Ugh, I _don't_ have a crush on you, okay?"

"Well, you did say I was 'handsome'," the boy teased further, now just amused to see her reactions.

"Technically, I never said that."

"But when I said Lyon looked good, you told me I did too. That _is_ saying in a… non-saying way or whatever."

"What on earth? What you said just now makes no sense at all."

"You get my point though."

"Actually," the girl had now started to move closer, causing him to stop his dusting too, "I don't, please explain."

"Are you trying to seduce me? Because if that's so, then you're doing a terrible job at it."

"_Please_; you flatter yourself too much."

"Perhaps," he agreed, "but you can't exactly blame me, can you?"

"Maybe not." And then, the room fell into a slight silence, and Gray could only find his eyes staring to her lips. He didn't know what got over him, or where his sense exactly was, but the boy couldn't get himself to look away and moved closer. The situation was same with Erza, as she simply closed her eyes, waiting for what she knew would happen, and for some reason, hoped as well. None of them were in complete sense, and both of them would regret this later on, but they just let themselves sway away for this one time. A kiss. Just a simple one, they had said. And it would've happened as well, if a certain picture on the desk didn't catch Gray's eye.

As if in instinct, he immediately moved back, making Erza open her eyes. As they both realized what was about to happen, they simply tried to calm themselves.

"You should leave," Gray breathed out, and she didn't ask for any explanation. Instead, she simply nodded and left the room.

The boy now tried to calm himself, taking in deep breaths. He couldn't believe what he was about to turn into; a cheater. This was his childhood friend and fiancé, one he dearly loved and most certainly couldn't betray. After all, this was his deceased mother's last dying wish, and he couldn't break it no matter what. The boy simply walked forward and sat in the chair before the desk, taking the photo frame in his hand. The picture was of a girl smiling in it, with her luscious brown locks simply left open. She was wearing a strapless summer dress and some flip flops, as they were in a beach. He remembered this time as when they went for a vacation to celebrate the success of the band's new album and her recent film. Since she loved beaches, it was her suggestion for them to go to Hawaii.

The boy simply sighed and whispered to the picture in his hands, as if wishing for her to hear it and forgive him, "I'm sorry, Cana. This won't happen again, I promise you that."


	22. 22: An Amusing News

**A/N: And here I am with yet another update! Oh and, ****_yes_****, Cana is Gray's fiance. The main reason is because I absolutely love her and cannot write a story without her being one of the important characters. Anyhow, I don't really have time to go all blah blah blah so I'll end here. Sorry, but since I have such less time, shoutouts next chapter. But please continue reviewing :) Oh and, guess what? 'Melody Of Us' is now the fifth most reviewed GrayZa story! I'm absolutely thrilled :V I really hope you guys keep reading and liking this :) Enjoy!**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Two: An Amusing News**

For Cana Alberona, the day was incredibly tiring. Just today she was filming in Charleston, South Carolina, for her upcoming movie. The weather wasn't all that bad, and her hotel suite was fairly comfortable with services which pleased her. But still, the day had been hard since she had to shoot four scenes in one day. The fact that made her groan was that she would have to shoot two more the next day, when all she wanted to do now was stay in her bed under the covers, turn on the air conditioner, get some popcorn and watch The Vampire Diaries as she drooled over the gorgeous male cast. And this would've been possible, too, if only her phone didn't ring in the middle. The girl was now absolutely furious by the disturbance, since right now Elena (the female lead) was going to confess about her feelings to Damon. They were her favorite couple and she had waiting three season and nine episodes for this, can't she just watch it in peace? Apparently, she couldn't. And so, the girl angrily accepted the call and she brought her phone to her ears.

"Loke," she recognized from the caller ID, trying her best to keep her tone pleasant, "Surprising that you called."

"How are you doing, Cana?" the voice asked.

"I am perfectly fine, how are you boys managing with the new school and all?"

"We're doing well," Loke replied in a firm voice.

"That's good to hear, but I'm assuming you haven't called for chit-chat. What do you need?"

"There's nothing that I _need_, I just wanted to keep you up-to-date about what's happening around here."

"If it's about some unknown chick Gray slept with at that 'party' which got you guys in trouble, then I know about it."

"You do?"

"Yes. He was drunk and it was just a mistake. Mistakes happen, don't they?"

"They sure do."

"See. And so if you don't have anything else to tell me, then could I get back to my work?" At this point, the girl had already picked up the remote, ready to turn up the volume and hang up.

"Actually, that is not exactly what I wanted to speak to you about."

Interested now that it wasn't the obvious, Cana wondered what exactly could've happened which her fiancé's friend was so determined to tell her. The girl simply put down the remote in her hand and adjusted the way she was sitting. "And that would be?"

"Well, we've met some new girls here."

"It's not an all-boys school, Loke; there will always be females around. I actually thought that would excite you, why didn't you ever tell me you were interested in people of your same gender?"

"Can you just take my words seriously, for once?" The boy was slightly irritated, since he was trying to be serious and bring up a real issue which she would be glad he told her about.

"Alright, but make it quick. I don't exactly have 'time to spare', and those are with quotation marks."

"I get it; you're a busy person, but listen this time, if you may."

"Well then hurry up with it."

"The thing is, there are these girls we met, and Natsu is dating one of them."

"He's got a girlfriend?"

"Don't interrupt," he told her sternly before continuing, "Now, the one he's dating is called Lucy, and Lyon likes one of her friends, Juvia. They have quite some more friends, but this girl called Erza Scarlet is the one who should be of your interest."

"I'm used to people having crushes on Gray, Loke. You guys are a famous band and you even look good. It's so predictable that girls are going to swoon over you."

"That's… not exactly the problem."

"Are you telling me Gray is romantically interested in this girl?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that," Loke defended, since he wasn't even sure of what his friend actually felt. "It's just that… well; recently the girls came to help us to move in our new house. When Gray was going up to his room to set it, they suggested for Erza to go help. Her friends were pretty determined on Erza being the one to help him, even Lucy was suggesting it. Other than that, Gray has been pretty close with this girl. It's not that I don't like this girl; she doesn't seem bad. I just don't want my friend to get too close with someone when he's already in a committed relationship."

"What did you say her name was, again?"

"Erza, Erza Scarlet," the boy replied, remembering it from when he questioned Natsu about her after the girls had all left.

"I'll get my agent to do a background check on her. But as you said, she's not exactly a bad person, correct?"

"Yes, she's not 'bad' or anything. To be honest, she seems pretty good to me. Apparently, she is the student council president. And Gray's joined this yearbook club of which she is the prefect."

"Doesn't sound harmful or anything."

"She isn't. I just want you to… well, maybe talk with Gray and ask him about it. Or better yet, you can come down here for a while if possible. I'll try to talk with Erza or her friends and make it straight with them that Gray's off limits."

"Thanks, that'll be great help. We've been shooting for just two months now, and we just got here in South Carolina from LA. We'll be shooting for two more weeks here till we move on to the last location. It will take kind of long, so I don't exactly know. However, I'll try my best."

"You do that. I'll try to keep things in hand here till that happens."

"That'll be very helpful, thanks."

"No problem. See you soon, I guess?"

"Yup, as soon as possible. Bye," the girl had said before hanging up. Right now, she had amused expression on her, as she was pretty surprised with the news she had just got. _Interesting,_ she thought to herself, _now I guess I _will_ have be there as soon as possible._


	23. 23: What She Feared

**A/N: I tried writing a JeRza fanfic. Keyword: ****_tried_****. I didn't even last till the first paragraph since I started thinking about Gray and Erza instead -.- It was pretty sad since I really liked the idea, but I've decided I'll use it for a GrayZa fanfic later on. To be honest, I have so many GrayZa story ideas (AU and not) but I won't start writing/posting them until I finish this one since I'm afraid I won't pay it any more attention then. So... yeah... much more GrayZa from me to come, but after this one is finished, which will be after a looooooong time since this story has more farther to go. Oh and, I apologize if the NaLu isn't enough. The thing is, I have to develop a certain complication for Gray and Erza which will have a part in Natsu and Lucy's relationship. I understand if you don't get what the heck I'm saying, but all I mean to tell you is that please be patient, Natsu and Lucy's relationship will be improved in the upcoming chapters :)**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: YES! ITS CANA :V Your sneaky suspicion was right :P And don't worry, Cana is one of my most favorite FT characters so I would never intentionally portray her as evil :)**

**grayzadportgas: xD Glad you liked it! I'm not exactly sure of the Cana and Loke crack pairing, but not bad. Even though I think he was just looking out for his friend :)**

**Guest: Yup, more GrayZa :)**

**Guest: Thank you! Glad you like it that much. Enjoy this update :)**

**mcFinnian: Haha, yes its Cana. It seemed like almost everyone thought it would be Ultear, even though I don't know why. I think I would've gone for Cana if she wasn't shown yet, but maybe that's because I love her way too much :P**

**Jasmine (Guest): I would prefer if you PM'ed this to me instead. However, I think I'll try to participate. Haven't I missed a few days already? Nevertheless, I will still try my best, just because I adore GrayLu :)**

**Medelie: Haha, they might or might not have a cat fight. The idea sure is good, though. I think Cana is too sweet for that and Erza is too after Jellal, but you still never know ;)**

**Winter . Waltz: Yeshhh Cana is Gray's chick and she is plotting something :O Good or bad? You'll find out ;) And the persian rug was actually Gray's since Lucy wasn't there at that time.**

**Guest: Haha, I love NaLu too! And the other couples are spelled GrayZa and LyVia, but its fine if you don't remember :P Here's an update!**

**Anti- Gruvia Fan (Guest): Here it is :)**

**Megamewgirl: Yup, Loke is kind of being a traitor. Though if you look at it through his point of view, he just doesn't want his friend to be a cheater and save his relationship. But yeah :P And to be honest, you were the only person who wrote Cana as the guess on your review. When I read it I seriously grinned so hard thinking "she doesn't know how right she is" and all xD**

**pinkkoala213: Cana and Erza will interact soon enough :) Actually, not ****_that_**** soon but yeah :P And I haven't given it a thought yet. Maybe Freed or Laxus, since people ship her with those two. I ship her with both but I guess I like MiraXus a bit more xD Annd thanks! It's fourth most reviewed GrayZa now, thanks to all you lovely people!**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Yup, its Cana! And you see Juvia's reaction here. And hehe, I'm actually glad you can't predict it :P Hope you remember your question soon!**

**LiLyRoSe98: Almost everyone thought it was Ultear :P And thank you! I'm glad you're still reading it :)**

**narutardXD: Hm, in a good or bad way? Cana will never be evil though, so don't worry :P**

**Guest: Thank you! And your question will be answered here :) And yes, Cana is Gray's girlfriend. You get to know a bit about how loyal he is to her in this chapter. True, it surely is a big obstacle.**

**LaynieCakes: Haha, glad you do! And it's perfectly fine. I'm glad you read it now and liked it too :)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Three: What She Feared**

"I cannot believe you people!" The door to Levy's room had opened, showing an absolutely furious Juvia Lockser. Her friends who were now in the room – Levy, Mirajane, and Lucy, since Erza couldn't be here – were surprised to see her, as they currently had no idea of what she was talking about. "Are you seriously trying to hook up _Erza_ with _Gray_?"

Their eyes widening with realization that their friend found out about this plan of theirs, the three had no idea on how to explain. They should've known what the consequences would be if Juvia got to know about it, since she was still deeply in love with a certain raven haired boy. And so, Mirajane tried to explain, "Look, Juvia… the thing is tha–"

"No!" The girl took two steps back when her friend tried to come closer. It seemed like the tears had now easily begun to fall, and she had no intention of wiping them off. "I thought you were my friends! _My_ friends; ones who cared for me! You knew… you knew how much I love Gray! And yet, you are all trying to get him together with someone who doesn't even care? Are you all forgetting how much Erza hates Gray? This is not just a simply story where the main characters hate each other and then fall in love. She is _not_ the main character! They can never be a couple! It's about me and Gray here, we're the ones you should try and get together! She can go and be happy with that Jellal for all I care. But Gray… he's mine! How dare you all try to get him to love her?"

"Juvia," Lucy tried speaking now, "we didn't mean to ma–"

"Oh _you_ most certainly cannot be the one trying to 'explain' things!" the blunette had screamed once more. "Just because you got your happy ending with Natsu does not mean you can go around ruining others' lives! Gray is the one I love, and I know he loves me too!"

"Oh please, have you guys ever even talked?" the blonde had questioned, trying to get her friend to snap into the reality here.

"What are you trying to imply? I love Gray, no matter what. And my love is strong enough to get him to fall in love with me! I know that he will be with me, because we _belong with each other_. Not that Erza! She doesn't even care about him!"

"But Juvia," Levy had now started trying, "Don't you think you are better off with Lyon? I mean, you two have obviously talked more, and know each other better too."

"Lyon?" the blunette simply said in disbelief. Were her friends really trying to set her up with someone else other than Gray? "Where did he come out in all of this? Oh my God, I get it now. You were in your pathetic attempts to try and get Erza and Gray together, while getting me and Lyon as a couple. Oh my, how could you? I don't even like Lyon! And I'm not going to listen to any of your rubbish anymore. Gray is mine, and I'll soon prove it to you when we are a couple. For now, I don't even know who you guys are! You have no rights to call me as your friend." And with that being said, the girl simply stormed off, slamming the door behind her as she left. She was going to show them by confessing to Gray, and she was going to do that _now._

xxx

_I cannot believe this_, Erza Scarlet thought to herself, _was I seriously about to do that? I can't. Never in a million years. I love Jellal, don't I? Then how can I be pathetic enough to almost… ugh! How can I just move on to the next guy just like that? If I really love him that much, I never would've done such a thing! Then why did I? I should have never even gone to help them in the first place. I should've never listened to anything the girls said._

Right now, Erza Scarlet was in her room, pacing about and thinking about what had happened earlier that day with Gray Fullbuster when she went to help the boys settle in their new house. Or, more likely, what _could've_ happened, since the kiss never really took place. Nevertheless, she was still extremely mad at herself for letting such a thing 'almost' happen. But she couldn't deny that a part of her was disappointed, too.

xxx

Gray Fullbuster was now standing outside his new house, staring at his phone in his hands. Earlier, the boy had _almost_ kissed another girl being fully conscious. Now, he obviously regretted the fact a lot, since he was _engaged_ to his childhood friend whom he was sure he absolutely loved. Also, the main reason of this engagement was because it was held in front of his now deceased mother, who had this as her last dying wish. Even Cana's father, Mr. Clive, has always wanted and wished for this to happen, and so has Cana herself. How could he betray so many people by cheating, including himself? He most certainly couldn't. His phone had a picture of his fiancé as the wallpaper, which was exactly why he found looking at it so amusing. He was trying to remind himself of the commitment he was in by staring at the picture, and also about all the people who believed in this engagement. Gray most certainly couldn't deceive so many people, no matter what. And he didn't even like Erza Scarlet in such a way… or so he thought.

The boy couldn't help but admit that he did care for her, but care and love are two different words with different meanings. He wasn't in love with her; he just had some feelings for her. What those feelings actually meant; he didn't know. But what he did know was that they just _couldn't_ mean something more than friendship, since he wouldn't allow their relationship to go higher than that.

The boy was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when a certain blunette came running in his direction, until she shouted out his name. That caused him to look up, and when he did, he saw Juvia come up to him and put her hands on her knees as she bowed down, panting heavily. When the girl was done, she straightened herself up. Juvia Lockser was determined to let her love know about her true feelings today. And she would do that no matter what.

"Is anything the matter, Juvia?" Gray had asked, surprised to see her come to him.

"No. I mean, yes. I mean… Well, kind of. I had to tell you something."

"Me? Are you sure it's not Lyon you want to talk to?"

At the mention of Lyon's name, the girl got absolutely furious since she remembered how her friends were trying to set her up with him when she didn't even like him in such a way. "Why is it Lyon who always comes out of nowhere?"

Her tone was quite harsh, and Gray seemed a little taken aback by it. Realizing this, the girl sighed and now tried in a softer manner, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to s–"

"Its fine," the boy cut her off, giving her a warm smile. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Juvia now took in a deep breath. _This is it,_ she thought to herself before starting, "Actually, I've… I've been a fan of you guys for quite some while now. I listened to each and every one of your songs, and I fell in absolute love with your band. It was later on that I slowly started focusing so much on you that I realized how much I liked you. No, this is not a simple celebrity crush, this is real and true love. I just… don't go on telling me I don't know much about you, because I do. I know where you came from, about your family, your personality, your hobbies, your dreams, the songs you've written, what you look for in a girl, how you feel about your teammates; everything. I mainly got all this off the internet and watching your interviews, but it still counts for me knowing something. I just… I really love you, Gray. I always will."

At the end of her confession, the boy now simply stood dumbfounded. His eyes were widened and his mouth was open, but after a while he got a hold of himself and clearing his throat, trying to put on a normal image. "Um, that's… surprising. Actually, uh… Juvia… Geez, how do I say it? Well, the thing is, and let me be frank about it; I have a fiancé. We're engaged, and I love her beyond belief. I'm sorry for this but if you know so much about me, you should be aware of this fact too."

"I am!" the girl told him, "I very much am aware of this. And you know what else I am aware about? The fact that you are not in love with her! I just… please Gray; just let me show you how powerful my love is, and how happy we can be together."

"Look, Juvia, I do love her. I've been in love with her for as long as we've known each other, or else I would've never gotten engaged to her. I'm just… I'm sorry, okay? But this; us… it's just not happening. And I deeply apologize for that." And with that, the boy simply walked back to his house, leaving the Lockser standing alone. Even long after he had left, she still stood there, just thinking about how her true love had rejected her. As if matching her situation, the rain had starting pouring heavily, falling on her and mixing with her tears. Once again, she was vulnerable. Only this time the difference was; there wouldn't be a Lyon coming to save her.


	24. 24: Unexpectedness

**A/N: Quick update before I leave :P This chapter has some NaLu to hopefully satisfy you all :) Especially with the sad Juvia going on... Anyways, how can we ****_not_**** state how Happy absolutely loves fish?**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**mcFinnian: Yup, she finally did! And yes, Juvia is the one and only :P**

**grayzadportgas: Yes, if only Mashima would realize that. :O And who was the one judging you for stating your opinion? I can shamelessly say I feel and want the same, and I don't care what people tell me for that :)**

**darkgirl99: I will :)**

**bella-romeo: Oh my God, YAY :V Why don't I know you in real so I can see you awesomely play the awesome tune of your awesome guitar? *sniff sniff* And yesh, Cana won't be evil because she's just too awesome ;) Here's an update!**

**LaynieCakes: Haha, I hope the NaLu here helps you control the feelings a bit xD**

**SparklingStar (Guest): Yes, its Cana :P I just hate how in the anime (I didn't read the manga yet so I don't know about that) they showed Cana and Gray together a lot as kids but then ignored it ;( I'd do anything to just have a glimpse of an awesome friendship of theirs! There will be a jealous Gray, but not anytime soon since he's still got to develop his feelings more. I hope you stay patient :) Since I obviously cannot just pop in jealousy out of nowhere :P**

**DIGIKO12: Thank you! I hope you enjoy the NaLu here :) There will be much more to come.**

**Pokie (Guest): Actually, he didn't know Erza as kids. It was Cana who was his childhood friend, and he only met Erza when they first came in Magnolia High. I apologize for the confusion.**

**Megamewgirl: xD Well, if you look at it from what Juvia feels, then you cannot exactly blame her since her feelings for Gray are really strong. She obviously likes him a lot, which is why she was fighting her friends for it. I'm still glad you were pleased :)**

**Medelie: Haha, yes, finally :P**

**LiLyRoSe98: I'm glad you understand :) I hope you like the NaLu here!**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Four: Unexpectedness**

"So you see," the blonde was explaining, "the situation isn't exactly all rainbows and unicorns. It's quite the opposite, actually. I just got to know from Mira – and don't ask how she knows, because I have no idea either. Let's just say Mira knows it all, okay? – that Juvia confessed to Gray and was rejected. I'm just… Juvia is not a bad person; she's a great friend of mine. But I was afraid this would happen. It's just that… ugh, I don't really know. She sure does love a lot, Juvia, but this time it just didn't work her way. I don't know about her and Gray as a couple, I'm basically rooting for him and Erza. Still, if she wants, then I can compromise for her happiness. I'm just so confused right now; I don't even know what I am blabbering on and on about! I… you get my confusion here, don't you?"

Right now, Lucy Heartfilia was ranting about her problems to the most important male in her life. Oh, no no, it most certainly wasn't Natsu! She needed someone much more mature and understanding and better at giving advices for this. And so, she was talking about it to Happy the blue cat, who simply kept on nodding and eating his fish. She thought he cared, but in reality he was just listening for an excuse to eat as many fishes as possible.

"So you think I should comfort her?" the girl assumed by his nod. "Hm that is a good idea, now that I think of it. Maybe she'll forgive me that way too."

"Are you two done with your bonding already?" Natsu said once he settled down in the couch beside Lucy and turned on the TV, which Happy beside her with his plate of fish.

"Not really, he's still telling me on what to do," she replied.

"Well, hurry up with it. He shouldn't be eating so much fish in the first place. I'll have to go get some from the market again, and it's a lot of work."

"Don't be jealous Natsu; I won't leave you for a cat."

"Pfft," the boy simply scoffed, "But he is a cat with a charm appeal, okay? Anyhow, I have nothing to be jealous about; since I'm sure Happy doesn't have bad enough taste to go out with you."

"_Excuse me?_ May I remind you we are currently dating, so you have to be the one with the bad taste?"

"I agree."

"There is nothing to agree on. You are extremely lucky to be dating someone as Lucy Heartfilia, since I'm absolutely awesome."

To that word of his girlfriend, the boy simply turned and gave her a smile. "That, I am."

xxx

A simply knock made Erza Scarlet get up and answer her door, but the person was most certainly not one she was expecting. The boy with the orange hair simply studied her for a while, before giving her a warm smile.

"Hi," he greeted, "Erza, I assume?"

"Yes. Loke, I assume?"

"Sure is."

"Right. Um, come in, I guess."

"Thanks," the boy said, now stepping in her huge room. He took some while to look around it, till he turned to her as she closed the door. "You have a fairly large dorm room here."

"Thank you, but I'd say it's surprising to see you come to meet me. How did you know where I lived?"

"I got to know from Lyon that Juvia stayed in the dorms, and came in hopes for you too as well," the boy answered. "I got your room number from asking the receptionist."

"Ah, I see," the girl simply said. "Well, please sit. Can I get you anything?"

"No thanks. I'm actually here to talk to you about something."

"I've guessed. What could it certainly be?"

"Well," he cleared his throat, "first of all I'd like to thank you for coming to help us settle in that other day."

She simply smiled and nodded, and he did the same before continuing.

"Now, the main reason, um… it's kind of weird to say this. Anyway, I'm just… well, I noticed that day how your friends had suggested you go and help Gray. I'm not sure if I'm correct, but it seemed like they were trying to give you and Gray a chance to be alone. Now, I might be wrong here, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't make sure? The thing is, I understand if you have a crush on Gray, since a lot of people do. But he is already in a committed relationship. He is engaged to Cana Alberona, if you didn't know from before. They really love each other, so I'd suggest you stay out of this. I apologize if I'm wrong, but it's my duty as a friend of his to try and save his relationship."

Erza was stunned, to say the least, at the very end of his words. She had noticed her friends' obvious suggestions too, and he wasn't blind to not have known. The girl didn't know what exactly to say, and so she just cleared her throat, "Um, well, thank you for caring about Gray. I can assure you I have no feelings for him romantically, and I do not wish to break his relationship or whatsoever. Yes, I am aware who he is engaged to, and also the fact that she is a famous movie star. I appreciate the fact that you bothered to save your friend from taking any wrong steps by telling me, and I give full guarantee that there will be no such actions from me."

Pleased with her words, Loke had simply smiled, "Thank you for that. I am very glad."

Erza returned his smile, but one that wasn't so genuine. _Things have gotten a little out of hand,_ she thought to herself.

xxx

A few people were loading her luggage to her car which stood at front, and Cana Alberona simply waited in front of the airport till they were done. She refused to bring bodyguards since she didn't think they were necessary, but her father Mr. Gildarts Clive wouldn't listen to any of that. And so, the brunette simply stood, with bodyguards around her for her apparent protection.

"Thank you," she had told the guard who opened the car door for her, as she simply stepped in. Afterwards when her guards followed in cars behind and at front, as well as the driver who got in, they were ready to go. The girl stared out the windows at the streets, acknowledging the beauty of it. She couldn't help the smile which formed into her lips.

"Magnolia, at last."


	25. 25: A Certain Scarlet

**A/N: Dun dun duuuun! Another update :) This one mostly focuses on Cana x Gray x Erza. I didn't realize how much I adored this love triangle until now O.O**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**grayzadportgas: Haha, glad you like it! And yup, it's just your opinion you were stating. They can go on and hate GrayZa all they want and no one has a right to stop them, while you can also hate Jellal if you want and no one can stop you. Everyone has their own opinions and people just need to accept that.**

**Raikiri80: Yes, the review's working :) Yup, Cana is finally here! And you get to know Erza's thoughts in (maybe) the next chapter. And true, I do hope for that just for a chance of Gray x Erza :P But as much as I want it to happen, I wouldn't just shoot him with a gun out of the blue either (did guns exist in that year?) and ruin the whole anime/manga.**

**mcFinnian: Hehe, I know! Happy is awesome :)**

**LaynieCakes: Haha, glad you liked it! And yeshh Cana is finally here :) Wow, second person shipping Cana x Loke (well, second review shipping that). It might or might not happen, though they will have plenty of interactions.**

**darkgirl99: Glad you do :)**

**GoldenRoseTanya (Guest): Yeeeeeeeees.**

**bella-romeo: Okay, TEARS OF AWESOMENESS ;( You should do a youtube vid, I'll watch it all the effing time :P And yup, Cana! She's going to be shown more in this chappy. And when I meant I was going somewhere, it was not like a trip or anything, just to the mall xD**

**Medelie: Yup, Cana at last! And thank you :) I would love some of that NaLu in the anime, even though I'm happy with what I'm getting comparing to the lack of GrayZa :P**

**Guest: You learn more about it in this chapter :) Even though I'm not happy with him, since I'm afraid it's too... dark. It gets fluffy? Anyway, yes not a good thing for Juvia at all! It'll actually effect her more than Erza since we can see how obsession. Thank you :)**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Haha, thats perfectly fine! Glad you like it :) And we see Cana meet Erza AND Juvia next chapter ;)**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: Hehe, I know xD Glad you still like it :) And yay! More GrayZa fans :V (and LyVia, love that waaaay too much) Here's an update!**

**Megamewgirl: Yup, cats and their listening skills :P If only they could all talk like Happy in the anime ;( But he's an Exceed, not a cat, now that I think of it. Anyway, your wait is over :)**

**P.S. I'm sorry if you guys aren't happy with this chapter, I am not either. But I just can't fix it :S I had four days of holiday (two days strike and two days weekend) which is ending since school starts tomorrow ;( I also have my cousin's birthday today and I'll return late, so no chance of completing the homework which has been lying here and there for all this time.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Five: A Certain Scarlet**

Gray Fullbuster was shocked, to say the least, when he was coming downstairs to see what made all the noise. It wasn't something he was expecting at all, because he most certainly wasn't expecting to see his fiancé in the living room with his friends.

"Oh, look who that is!" Lyon had said, a little too loudly, once he spotted Gray at last. At that moment the others looked in the direction as well, and Gray had no choice than to smile and carry on coming down.

"Hey," he greeted her once he was down, "How's i–"

"Oh oh, Cana! Have I shown you my new cat?" Natsu had exclaimed out of excitement, unknowingly cutting off Gray.

"Not yet," Cana smiled.

"Cana, I should show you our new song on the keyboard!" Lyon had also exclaimed now.

"I forgot to ask, what did you bring for me?" Loke now questioned.

"His name is Happy, and he's _blue_!"

"The song goes something like this…"

"I hope you got me something good."

"He eats so much fish!"

"And then it goes…"

"A new guitar would be nice."

"PEOPLE!" Gray had screamed out at last, causing him to get a lot of attention. "I'd like to talk to my fiancé now, _alone_."

Now finally understanding and noticing him, the three simply left. Even though Gray was absolutely irritated by the situation, Cana found it hilarious. To avoid any more interruptions, Gray lead her to his now furnished room upstairs. Once they reached, he closed the door as she stepped in and observed it.

"This looks good," she commented, "You must've needed some help doing it though."

From her words, it seemed to him as if she knew exactly what happened. But since no one except him and Erza were aware of that 'situation', he simply shrugged it off. "It's surprising to see you here. I thought you said you couldn't meet me until you were done with the shooting which wouldn't be until a few more months, so what caused the sudden change of plans?"

"My co-actor has to do some kind of operation, so our schedule has been changed. They don't know how long it will take, but I will be informed. I couldn't just stay in South Carolina doing nothing."

"I thought you were in LA."

"Was, but our shooting over there was done so we moved to the new location. Not my fault you don't call often."

"I've called a lot of times, you were busy."

"I suppose you were too, with all the things you have to do here."

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, now almost believing his suspicion.

"No need for that expression, Gray," Cana had said once she noticed his face. "I meant your homework, friends, projects, clubs; all those stuff."

"Oh," he simply said in a relieved tone. "I didn't tell you about any clubs, though."

"Loke called to let me know about the things which go on here, since you cannot possibly bother."

"Ah, so I get it. This is about Erza Scarlet, isn't it?"

"You remembered her full name. Surprising, I've never seen you remember any girl's full name since the fifteen years of me knowing you."

"I know your full name."

"That's a different matter. I've done a background check on this Erza of yours. I'm thinking of maybe meeting her as well."

"Look, Cana, I can assure you nothing happened. I don't know what Loke told you, but the kiss didn't happen."

"A kiss?" At this point the brunette was stunned, since she didn't get to know about any kiss from Loke.

"Well, an almost kiss. The thing is; it didn't happen."

"You were about to kiss someone, Gray?"

Now, it was Gray's turn to be confused, since he thought she knew about all of it. What was the point in knowing half the story, anyway? "You didn't know?"

"I wasn't told of anything like that. Loke just told me I should be a bit careful about this girl, that's all. But now it seems like she's more capable of things than what I thought."

"It's not her fault. And plus, it didn't even happen."

"Wow, are you defending her, Gray Fullbuster?"

"Look, it's–"

"I want to meet this chick."

"Huh?"

"I want to meet her; Erza Scarlet. She seems very interesting, and I like interesting people. I think we'll get along very well, to be honest."

"Wait, hold it. You are _not_ meeting Erza."

"Are you going to stop me?"

"If needed, then yes, certainly."

"Well, that's too bad. Because I'm going; _now_."

"Wait, Cana, you can't go!"

"And why exactly not?"

"Because… because… you don't know where she lives!"

"I'll ask Loke."

"What's with you and Loke?" The question simply made the girl stop dead in tracks on her way out, as she was absolutely shocked by the question. "Do you two have something going on here?""

"I cannot believe you would compare yourself with me, Gray," he answered.

The boy now simply sighed, as he didn't think things would go this way at all. "Look, Cana, I don't want us to fight. You just arrived, and you're probably tired. If you really want to meet Erza, then go ahead; I won't stop you. But can't we just sit together and be a normal couple for once?"

As much as she hated to admit it, and as much as her excitement was for meeting a certain someone, her fiancé had a point in what he said for once. And so, she simply nodded, "Fine. My luggage is at my hotel."

"You can just stay here, why a hotel? We have plenty of rooms."

"I prefer a hotel. I'll visit often, though."

"As you wish. How was your shooting?"

"Tiring, but good. How is your school so far?"

"It's better than what I expected, even though we haven't been attending for some days due to house furnishing. Today we just got lazy. But we're going tomorrow since it's the weekends after that anyway."

"That's great. So, mind telling me about this oh-so-famous Erza Scarlet?" Cana had questioned.

Gray, however, simply groaned, "Don't start."


	26. 26: A Settlement

**A/N: Wow, this was quick O.o Anyway, I'm just updating before I go back to my pressure to start (and finish) the thousands of homeworks that I have ;(**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**Medelie: Haha, maybe. You'll find out here :P Personally, I think Cana is too sweet and awesome for a cat fight with Erza.**

**grayzadportgas: Hehe, someone sure is! And here we have Cana and Erza's meeting. Sorry if its not as expected, but I'm fairly pleased with it since I don't want Cana to be too... well, non-Cana. I think I'd prefer if she was calm and collected if I was reading the story.**

**Raikiri80: Well, the current situation of their relationship gets slightly explained here. And the real reason for Cana's actions will be explained next chapter, along with a bit more of how her and Gray's relationship is going. Yes, I do agree that it won't be all that good if they got together just like that, since it is more likely for them to have more complications. I still hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :)**

**LaynieCakes: Haha, yes :P I love Gray and Cana so much! But like you, GrayZa will still always be my OTP :) Still, I don't mind if they get together in the show if there is no chance of GrayZa happening. It's kind of my second back-up ship for Gray, GrayLu being the first one.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Six: A Settlement**

To Lucy Heartfilia, the situation couldn't be more awkward. Some hours ago, when their school let out, Natsu had asked her and the girls to go to a certain coffee shop since someone wanted to meet them. He wouldn't state who that 'someone' was, since he wanted it to be a surprise. Now, Lucy regretted coming when she saw that the 'someone' was indeed Cana Alberona, a famous movie star and Gray Fullbuster's fiancé. She, Mirajane, and Levy had completely forgotten about her till now. You could just imagine their surprise when they saw her in Magnolia.

The three made small talk, and Erza said she would come after a while since Juvia was still sulking. While they talked with Cana, Erza was apologizing (yes, you read that right) and convincing Juvia to come. They all made small talk, and they found out Cana was really friendly. However, Levy made an excuse to go meet Gajeel, her boyfriend, while Mirajane said she needed to pick up her brother Elfman from his after school karate club and set home. And so, that left Lucy and Cana alone, thus the awkwardness.

"Natsu talks a lot about you," Cana said, taking a sip of her drink which would be a caramel macchiato. Lucy, on the other hand, had ordered a strawberry smoothie, which she still didn't touch.

"He's kind of a talkative person."

"He most certainly is. Um, I haven't known you for long, you see, so I can't say much about you. Still, you seem like a really nice person, I'll give you that. However, Natsu is… well, he's different. You don't see people like him nowadays, which is a good thing since he's one-of-a-kind. My loyalties are with him since we've known each other for longer, so please don't… well, break his heart, I guess. In anyway, he's quite a catch."

"I understand," Lucy smiled, "and don't worry, I don't plan on letting him go anytime soon."

"That's great. Plus, it's not common to get boyfriends who play the drums – and marvelously, may I add – for a band which is the new musical sensation."

"Well, why don't we talk about you? Your boyfriend plays the bass guitar and he's the lead singer. That's pretty awesome."

At the mention of that, the girl simply put down her drink she was about to take a sip of, "Let's not talk about Gray."

"Oh," Lucy had said, sensing the atmosphere. "I'm sorry… I didn't know you two had… well, issues."

"It's nothing like that," Cana explained. "It's just that… well, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, and it wasn't really a touchy reunion. The thing is, Gray seems very different now, and I don't know the reason for that. But it's not like I'm not at fault. I started blaming and suspecting him from the moment I arrived, and it's safe to say I feel…"

"Guilty?" the blonde suggested.

"Yes," Cana admitted, "Guilty. I didn't want things to go the way they did, which is why I'm feeling like that."

"Why don't you try and make it up to him somehow?"

"That's what I'm here to do," she smiled, "And I need some help."

"I'm always at your service."

"Thank you, Lucy. It's just that I–"

At that exact moment, the doors of the café opened up and two certain people stepped in. They were, without a doubt, Erza Scarlet and Juvia Lockser. Once Lucy waved to them to show them where their table was, the two of them simply came and settled down.

"Hey," Juvia said to Lucy, "I'm… sorry, for earlier. I overreacted."

"Its fine, Juvia. Are you okay?" Lucy had asked.

"Yes, much better now," the girl replied honestly. And it was then that both she and the redhead noticed their company.

"Why, hello there," Cana smiled, and aimed a question in the blunette's direction, "You must be Ms. Juvia Lockser, if I'm correct?"

"Uh… yeah…" the confused girl simply replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you; I've heard lots about you from Lyon!"

"Nice to meet you too," she replied, "Even though I have no idea who you are and probably didn't hear a thing about you."

The brunette didn't mind, and instead simply chuckled. It was then that she looked at the redhead, and immediately assumed who it was. "And you must the famous Erza Scarlet."

Erza simply nodded, a bit confused from how this girl knew so much about her.

"Oh, how rude of me. I haven't properly introduced myself," the girl realized. "I'm Cana Alberona, if you've heard of me. I guess it'll be easier to identify me as Gray's fiancé."

After those words, Juvia's eyes widened with realization, and Erza would spit out her drink if she was having one. Questions were racing through Juvia's mind, and she wondered why this girl was here. She even mentally slapped herself for not remembering what she looked like when she'd seen a thousand of pictures of her and Gray. But, she saw those pictures practically two years ago, and Cana had changed a lot since then. Still, the girl was pretty angry for not remembering.

"Should I get the waiter for you two to order?" Cana offered.

"It's… f-fine," Erza stuttered. Yes, _stuttered._ Lucy and Juvia were now shocked, but Cana didn't know much about it so she simply asked again.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes. We'll order when we n-n-need to," the girl stuttered again. Erza Scarlet was never one to feel as if she was any less from others. She has always been a confident figure since that is what has been needed for her as the student council president. She also never paid much attention to her looks, since she thought those won't be necessary. However, right now she so badly wanted to change. Earlier, the girl was thinking about her conversation with Loke, and realized a few things, which were her feelings for Gray Fullbuster. She found out that she more or less cared about him, and had taken a slight liking to him as well. _Slight._ It wasn't much, and most definitely not as powerful as her love for Jellal had been. It could be classified as just a simple thought of him looking good. Or, if she told Mirajane, she would make it a small crush. Whatever it might be, there was something, even if Erza couldn't figure out what it exactly was yet. Right now, seeing his fiancé, she was star struck. Even by wearing a simple white cardigan, a black singlet inside, white jeans and some platform heels, the girl managed to look absolutely amazing. She was wearing jewelry, but they were only earrings and a locket. Her hair looked as if it was set up, with the luscious brown locks in curls which were elegant but casual at the same time. Erza debated on whether the girl wore make-up or not, but then decided her skin was flawless anyway. And so, Erza Scarlet now badly wanted to be someone else, someone with a better fashion sense, since she started to feel very self-conscious.

"Well then, if you're really sure, I won't push you farther," Cana said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "However, please order later on and tell me then."

Both the girls simply nodded, and it was a surprise they found the strength to do that, since they were both just staring at Cana in awe. Lucy was now the one to ask a question, though, "Cana, you were saying you needed help with something earlier?"

"Oh, yes," the girl recalled, now starting with her request, "Actually, I need all three of your help in this, if you can do that?"

"We can," Erza said, now maintaining her image once again, "Whatever it is, we'll try our best. Please ask."

"Thank you," Cana smiled, "It's not much, I hope. I just… um, I want to get to know all of you, since you've been mentioned by the boys so much. Also, it's been long since I met them, so it's like I want to… well, bond with them as well. The thing is; I thought maybe we could all go to the Magnolia Center Mall tomorrow, since I heard it's pretty good. We can eat, watch the movies, maybe go to the arcade; anything works. It's kind of like since I haven't been spending much time with the boys and I want to get to know you guys too, it'll be doing two things at once. Just roaming together like friends, if that's fine with you all?"

"It's perfect!" Lucy exclaimed. "We'd love to get to know you too so just an amazing opportunity."

"Um, I'll… see to it," Juvia hesitated.

"Is there anything wrong with the plan?" Cana had questioned.

"No, nothing like that. I might just be a little busy…"

"Oh, but we possibly cannot go without you; it won't be any fun."

"Don't cancel your whole trip for me. I'll… okay, I'll come," the blunette agreed.

"Perfect," Cana smiled, and then turned to the redhead. "Any plans of yours, Erza?"

"Oh. Um, well I… I'd love to help you bu–"

"So you're coming?" Cana asked, cutting her off.

"Oh um, I guess…" Erza simply said, forming a pleased smiled on Cana's lips.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, an hour after your school lets out. We can meet directly in the place, yes?" the brunette simply asked them all, getting nods from all of them.

_Well,_ Erza thought to herself, _this will be fun… not._


	27. 27: What Is To Come

**A/N: Nothing to say :P**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**Guest: I knoooooow! That always happens to me! Which is why I don't really read FT fics if they have pairings I don't like (even mild mentions) which would be JeRza and GrUvia. Yes, she isn't understanding... yet. Haha, I totally agree! If only *sigh* Cana is one of my favorite characters from Fairy Tail, and yes, it's just sad she's not always there. Which is why I decided to put her a lot in my fanfic :P Go Cana!**

**bella-romeo: Hehe, yes! The trip, however, will be (hopefully) next chapter. Still, I hope this is good enough :)**

**Medelie: Maybe she is, maybe she's not. It's kind of explained in this chappy, I think?**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: It sure is xD And its kind of fun putting cliffhangers, actually :P The LyVia will be in their trip to the mall, along with NaLu and (maybe) GrayZa. I won't spoil anything though xD Happy is shown a bit in this chapter, but other than that he won't be mentioned till later chapters since I plan on using more than one chapter for their trip.**

**Raikiri80: Actually, that update surprised me as well! I'm glad you liked that :) I'm trying to improve her feelings a bit slowly, which is why she isn't really going to be sure about what she feels for Gray yet. However, I'm glad you like the love triangle!**

**narutardXD: You get to know that here. It's not too evil... I think.**

**LaynieCakes: Haha, yes, Cana rocks! And thaaaaaank you! I'm super glad for that :)**

**grayzadportgas: Yes, they're coming, and that ****_will_**** be extremely awkward. Maybe that'll happen, maybe it won't ;)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Seven: What Is To Come**

"It's not the first time we've been out," Natsu told him while strolling through clothes in his wardrobe, looking for which one to pick, "and there will be more people with us, too. It's just that… well; I want to be good enough for her. And that will need me to worry about minor details. I don't want anything to go wrong since I'm afraid she'll be disappointed if that happens. I… I'm not making any sense here, am I? Anyway, Cana really wants to go for an unknown reason. Is it me or have you noticed that she and Gray are having less interactions? I hope everything is fine between them. Anyway, which one?"

Now, the boy turned and held two of his clothes up to the cat who simply sat. After thinking for some while, Happy simply shook his hand, making the boy groan and throw two of the pieces of clothing to the pile of his bed. "Seriously? This is the third pair you've rejected, buddy. Make up your mind."

The cat simply meowed, causing the boy to let out a small sigh, "Yeah, that's true. Okay then, let's keep on looking for the perfect one. Anything for Lucy, right?"

xxx

"You seem to be taking this really smoothly," a certain orange haired boy told the brunette who was now pacing around her boyfriend's room setting things up, "It's kind of suspicious. Cana, you _are_ mad at him, right? Because it wouldn't be normal otherwise."

"There is nothing to worry about, Loke. I know what I'm doing. And yes, I am mad at him," the girl simply replied, still making the room more organized.

"Well then, why would you want to go somewhere with him and invite the girl along who is the main reason for all of this?"

"I love Gray, and I just need to know that he loves me back."

"Look, he does, okay?" Loke assured her. "You guys have known each other for… what? Ten years?"

"Fifteen," she corrected him.

"Yeah, see! That's a long time. Just don't worry, Cana. He's always loved you and only you."

"But your words don't guarantee that, and neither does his. I really need to test this."

"Test?" the boy asked, now confused. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is; I need to see how much he really loves me," she explained.

"And how will you do that?"

"Well," Cana started, "I'll do pretty much what her friends did that day. Basically, I'll try my best to put them in situations alone, and all he has to do is resist taking any steps. Pretty simple, isn't it?"

"Uh, _no._ I mean, yes, but this is a bad idea, Cana, and believe me when I say this."

"Oh, please. Look, if Gray really loves me, he won't initiate anything."

"And if he does?"

For a second, the girl froze just a bit, but then quickly regained herself and smiled, "He won't, Loke. And I truly believe that."

xxx

"Under any other circumstances, I would be absolutely thrilled by this news," Mirajane told the redhead who had surprised everyone by an even more surprising confession.

"Erza," Levy started, "Do you really… like Gray like that?"

"It's just a small crush," the girl answered, still setting up her outfit. "I'll get over it soon enough."

"He has a fiancé," Lucy added, "And she's really _really_ nice."

"You forgot famous and flawlessly beautiful," Erza told her friend. "I know, I don't stand a chance, but I'm not even trying. To get him, you know. They're already in a commitment, and I don't want to ruin that. And most certainly not after that conversation with Loke I told you guys about. It's just that… I can't help but feel he's a little like Jellal, you know? Like, that feeling I always used to get when I was around him is similar with how I feel with Gray, just a little more different. But in a good way, that is."

"Erza," Juvia spoke up after some while, causing everyone to direct their attention towards her, "Um, Gray… well, he didn't accept my confession because he was in a relationship and he… loves her. I won't say I'm over him, it'll take some time for that, but I understand if you… like him. I just don't think we should do something about it."

"We won't," the redhead said, "I just told you all for the sake of it. We're friends and we share everything so why not this? I don't want us to take any actions for my feelings about Gray; they can stay just the way they are. And, eventually, they'll fade away. That's what I really want, so we are not going to do anything."

"Are you sure about that?" Mirajane asked.

"Absolutely sure, Mira," Erza answered her. "We will do nothing. Let's just stay friends with them and that's enough."

"If you really are sure," Lucy said, "Then I guess there is nothing we can do about it. However, if you still ever change your mind, you know who to call."

"I know, and I hope to not change my mind. Cana Alberona… she seems really nice, doesn't she? I don't want to… well; get in her and Gray's relationship. Its fine the way it is."

"If you say so," Juvia said, now getting up and brushing off dust in her dress. The girl simply took her purse in her hand, and in queue, Lucy got hers out too. Erza took out her car keys as the three left the lobby of Fairy Hills, bidding goodbye to Mirajane and Levy, while going outside. Once there, the three got in the car, and Erza was the one driving since she had already got her driver's license a few months ago. The girl took in a deep breath, before starting the car and setting on their way. No matter what happened later on, this day would certainly be memorable, and they could all agree on that.


	28. 28: How Will This Turn Out?

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, but not much time so I won't say much. Next chapter will hopefully be quicker.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**LaynieCakes: Haha, it will, eventually.**

**grayzadportgas: I'll put up the next chapter soon enough, but I hope you enjoy this for now :)**

**narutardXD: ...**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And yes, the LyVia starts soon enough :)**

**mcFinnian: It'll be explained a bit in this chapter, I think?**

**bella-romeo: Yes! She finally admitted it! And haha, yes it's very awkward indeed.**

**Guest: She sure has :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Raikiri80: You'll find out soon enough :)**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Haha, glad you like it! I didn't make Cana all that possessive since I don't really think it's like her...**

**thunde rider: There will be :)**

**pinkkoala213: Well, you'll find out more in the next chapter :) And yup! Though, I'm okay with her being with either one of them since both the pairings are so awesome!**

**jaxe40: I hope it is :)**

**GrayZaRocker (Guest): Well, that's a shocker :P**

**Medelie: Yeshh she did!**

**Pokie (Guest): Well, this took quite long, sorry for that! But hope you enjoy it :)**

**Megamewgirl: That's perfectly fine! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Eight: How Will This Turn Out?**

"Are you guys sure?" the blonde asked both of her friends once again. After getting the same answer as before, she simply set off. Currently Erza, Lucy, and Juvia were waiting for the others to arrive, since they hadn't yet. Lucy decided she wanted to go get some ice cream while they waited, and so she went to buy one for her, with Erza and Juvia just waiting. Not long after she had left, Juvia decided to ask Erza the one question that had been bothering her.

"Hey, Erza," the girl started, "You… like Gray, right?"

The redhead simply nodded, but the blunette now asked another question. "Well, um, I just… are you sure? I mean, it's not likely of you, the Erza Scarlet, to confess about liking someone so easily. Does this have anything to do with… well, his fiancé, maybe?"

"Are you trying to say I'm only admitting that I like Gray now that Cana is in the picture?"

"No… well, maybe. I don't know what I'm trying to imply, exactly. It's just that… this isn't like you, as I mentioned. I've known you for some while now, Erza. And I know that even if you liked someone, you wouldn't say it aloud with such ease. Are you sure this has nothing to do with… oh, I don't know, jealousy?"

"Look, Juvia, I know you're not over Gray yet but that doesn't mea–"

"I know I'm not over him as well," the girl cut off her friend, "But that's a different matter. All I'm saying is that this 'confession' isn't you at all, because the Erza I know wouldn't ever do that. So even if it is – the jealousy, I mean – then it's perfectly fine since that happens. I just… want you to tell me stuff, you know?"

"It's not tha–"

"And what are you two rambling on about?" Lucy said when she came back with her ice cream, cutting off Erza's words. "I hope you aren't fighting for Gray or anything. It's kind of weird, isn't it? Now that you both like him and all."

The blonde chuckled at her attempt in humor, but neither of her friends found it amusing. And so the girl simply cleared her throat, "Sorry. Natsu called me a while back, they should be here soon. Actually, they _are_ here. Probably in the parking lot now, no idea. But very close so we don't have to wait long."

"That's good to know," Juvia said, "They should probably hurry up, I'm a bit tired of waiting."

"Oh are you?" A familiar voice had called, and upon turning Juvia saw it was no other than Lyon Vastia who was arriving with Natsu, Gray, Cana, and Loke. Seeing the blunette, Lyon simply smiled, one which Juvia returned. "Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"That's fine," Erza said, "Hasn't been that long, anyway."

"The mall is quite nice, I see," Cana commented. "I like it."

"It's the best mall here," Lucy told her.

"Well, I mostly came to shop. My clothes are getting kind of… old. A bit out of trend, you know," the brunette said.

"Didn't you shop just before arriving here in Magnolia?" Loke asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter," the girl simply said. "Anyway, where shall we go first?"

Ever since they came, Juvia and Gray had been avoiding eye contact, and so had Gray and Erza. Honestly, Gray was trying to not talk to anyone at all, since he most certainly didn't want to be here. The only reason he was had been because his fiancé convinced him and dragged him along. And you cannot argue with Cana Alberona. Because when she wants something, _she wants it._ Natsu in this moment spoke up, having already planned something out from before, "If you guys don't mind, then there's an amusement park out front, I think, and I'd like to go there with Lucy. You guys can keep shopping, I guess. We'll meet you later."

"That sounds wonderful, Natsu," Cana told him, smiling brightly at the idea. "I've heard there is a movie theatre here?"

"There is," Juvia told her, "On the top floor."

"That's fascinating. I love to watch movies, maybe we can watch one now. Right, Gray?"

Upon being asked by his fiancé, the raven haired boy simply nodded, which Cana mentally noted. "You know," she began, "Not everyone has to go if they don't want to."

"I actually want to check out some shops," Lyon said.

"Yeah, and maybe we can get something to eat afterwards," Loke suggested.

"That sounds like quite a good idea," Juvia told them, smiling.

"Hm," Cana started, "Well then, why don't I, Gray, and Erza go watch the movies while Lyon, Loke, and Juvia check out the shops?"

"Wait, _what?_" Juvia exclaimed. It wasn't that the girl didn't want to hang out with Lyon; she just wasn't sure how it would be with them alone, since she assumed Gray told him about rejecting her. But then again, they wouldn't be alone if Loke was with them.

"That is actually a great suggestion," Lucy spoke up. "Alright Natsu, let's go now."

"Bye guys," Natsu bid them goodbye, and he and Lucy went in the direction of where the park was. Upon their leaving, Cana didn't waste a second to drag Gray and Erza to the elevator, not wanting her plan to get foiled.

"Okay, bye guys. Enjoy!" She told them before grabbing both of Gray and Erza's hands and taking them away. Lyon, Juvia, and Loke stood frozen for a while, but then Lyon quickly led them to the first shop he wanted to go to. The groups sure were weird, and none of them knew how this would turn out. Especially when there were some tricky love triangles going on.


	29. 29: A Turning Point

**A/N: I am so sorry this took so long, but I won't waste your time with a pointless author's note. This was supposed to be posted last weekend but I couldn't finish it, sorry. Luckily, I have a short (10 days) holiday and will (hopefully) write new chapters during this time. No promises though. Oh and, I've also decided that I'll probably reply to reviews instead of doing shoutouts, which will take place from next chapter, I think? Anyway, enjoy!**

.

.

.

**Chapter Twenty Nine: A Turning Point**

"I choose Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters," a certain brunette declared to the people who were with her, even though they were obviously not interested. "I mean, I haven't seen it yet, which is pretty surprising. Also, Logan Lerman is damn cute. Why would I miss the chance to see him on a big screen?"

"Right. Logan… who?" Erza questioned, to which Cana's eyes went wide.

"You don't know Logan Lerman?" She confirmed with disbelief, as Erza slightly nodded. "No way! How can you even…? Oh my God, this is a real issue we have here! Now we are most certainly going to watch this."

"I take it my opinion doesn't matter?" Gray finally spoke ever since he arrived.

"You are correct," Cana simply smiled. "You should be a gentleman and let the ladies choose. Like Lyon, you know."

"Right. So since I am not – in your opinion – and what I think doesn't matter, you shouldn't certainly mind if I go with Natsu and Lucy, right?"

"They need some time together," the girl answered. "They're dating, in case you forgot."

"I didn't forget. Maybe I could… go with Loke and the others then?"

"Why are you so bound on not sticking with me?"

"Because you always make things worse than they are actually supposed to be."

"We're just three friends hanging out; I don't see how this situation is bad at all." To that word of Cana's, Gray didn't say anything and just gave her a glare, causing the brunette to smirk. "Okay then, why don't you go get the tickets, Gray? Erza and I will wait here. I'd like to talk to her anyway."

xxx

"And what are we doing here again?" the blonde asked her boyfriend as they both stepped inside the park. "Seriously Natsu, amusement parks are for kids. Do not expect me to ride that Piggy Loves You over there."

"Amusement parks are fun, Lucy," the boy simply said. "And we don't need to ride that. We can get on the rollercoaster and all. I just… I want us to have some time alone, okay? It's embarrassing to act couple-y in front of others, and it's boring if I'm not like that with you."

At his words, the girl simply smiled, and tip-toed to give her boyfriend a peck on the lips. "Okay then, where do you suggest we go first?"

xxx

_Perfect,_ Lyon Vastia thought sarcastically to himself, _just perfect. How much more amazing could this be? I have a chance to bond with Juvia, but Loke keeps on butting in by staying here. Awesome, right? Yup, sure is._

"So," Lyon told the blunette in front of him, "how's your club going?"

"Pretty good. This year we've got lots of new people and we're working on five projects. Hard, but fun as well. How are you guys doing with your recording?"

"Great. We've just recorded two new songs a while back. Been a bit busy, but it's worth it, you know."

"Well, that sure is nice. I hope to listen to some of your songs soon."

"Maybe you'll be one of the first people to hear them," the orange haired boy simply smiled, one which the girl returned.

At the scene, Lyon almost groaned. Almost. Well, he did mentally. _The girl I like is hanging out with one of my best friends,_ he thought to himself, _and they're getting close. Even closer than me and her, I think. Isn't that just fantastic? Not._

xxx

"I'm hungry," Cana stated.

"I don't care," Gray replied.

"Well, _I_ do."

"Then go get some food."

"I cannot afford to miss anything."

"Then don't eat."

"But I am hungry."

"So? Either watch this or go get something… popcorn, maybe."

"Why can't you go get some for me?"

"Because–"

"I'll get it," Erza cut in, stopping their 'little fight' as she got up to leave and buy some popcorn.

"See," Cana smiled, "she's so nice."

"What are you trying to do, Cana?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't buy this being-nice-with-Erza act. Especially after… things happened."

"She didn't take any money with her," the brunette remembered. "Did she? Nope, she didn't. Why don't you go give her some to buy the popcorn? And some Pepsi on the way too, please."

"Look Can–"

"Please," the girl simply repeated, and that was all it took for Gray to understand. Her tone was slightly harsh, and he had an idea on what she was planning. Nonetheless, the boy – now also in a bad mood – got up and left for outside to find a certain Scarlet.

xxx

"There's an arcade around here somewhere, I think. Is there one?" Loke asked Juvia as Lyon simply glared at his friend, which the boy was clueless to.

"Yes," the girl answered him, "Do you want to see it? There's a map somewhere here, I think. It'll help you find your way there."

"Yeah. But I'll probably do it later." No sooner than those words left his mouth, Lyon discreetly kicked the boy so that Juvia wouldn't notice. Looking at him – in pain – to find an answer, Lyon simply stared back at Loke and then kind-of-pointed at Juvia. The boy, now finally understanding, simply widened his eyes. "Oh um… you know, never mind, I can just go now."

"You sure? We _are_ having fun, after all," Juvia said, holding up a top she liked.

"Yeah, some of us are," the orange haired boy simply said. "Anyway, I guess I'll be there. Um, you want to join me, Juvia?"

Juvia simply looked and thought for a while at his suggestion, but what the girl didn't know was that her one answer could change a lot. Meanwhile, both Lyon and Loke were tense and eagerly expecting an answer from her, which the girl wasn't aware of.

"Um, I think I'll just stay with Lyon here," she finally said, much to the boys' relief.

xxx

"That… was… EPIC!" a certain pinkette exclaimed loudly, as his girlfriend simply panted beside him.

"Uh, _excuse me?!_ I'm never doing that again! I officially hate roller coasters."

"Oh, come on Luce! It was fun!"

"It was _awful._ Do you know what that word means? It means that it was horrible. I can just puke right now."

"It was scary."

"Which is the awful part of it!" the blonde screamed in frustration. "Ugh, I'm never doing that again."

"You already said that."

"I know."

"Okay, say what? Why don't we not ride 'scary ones' anymore, and get you a panda?"

"A _what?_"

"A stuffed panda! Look, there's one over there! All I need to do is shoot through the hoops."

"And you think you'll be able to do it?"

"Pfft," Natsu simply scoffed, "Just watch me. Don't worry, I'm awesome at sports."

xxx

"Your girlfriend sure is… friendly," Erza commented while they both stood waiting in the queue for the popcorn.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Well, I mean I… expected her to be all…"

"Mad about the 'situation'?" Gray suggested.

"Yes, mad. I just… she seems to be taking it normally."

"A bit _too_ normally, and that's never a good thing for anyone."

"I'll agree with you on that. Do you think she's planning something or…?"

"Well, I have known Cana for fifteen years, and this does not seem like her at all."

"Which counts as a yes?"

"It does. We can only hope for nothing to wrong now."

xxx

"So, I haven't seen you in quite some time. How've you been?" a certain white haired boy asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"Good," Juvia smiled, "and you?"

"Fantastic. You do realize this is the first time we're talking ever since we came, right?"

"Aha, sorry about that. I just felt like I should get to know you guys better, you know."

"Oh don't worry, I'm not upset. Well, maybe a bit but I totally understand."

"Thanks for that," she smiled. After some while, a question came up in Juvia's mind, and she nervously started. "Um, hey, Lyon… did Gray… talk to you recently?"

"We live in the same house and he's my cousin, why wouldn't he?"

"No, I mean… did he tell you anything about… about me… us… _things_…"

"Um, no not really. Is there something I should know?"

"I am not really sure."

"You can trust me, Juvia. If you want to share something, go ahead. But if not then I won't force you."

"Thanks," the girl simply looked at him, smiling again, "there's nothing I want to tell you right now, but thank you for understanding."

xxx

"Awesome? _Awesome?_ Saying you suck won't even be enough!" A certain blonde told her now pouting boyfriend. When Natsu had told Lucy that he could easily shoot through some hoops and win her a stuffed panda, the girl soon realized that her boyfriend couldn't do sports at all. They later paid for another try where _Lucy_ was able to shoot through the hoops and win _Natsu_ a stuffed panda, which she obviously kept on mentioning just to stick it up.

"Alright, I get it. Maybe I'm not that good, but hey! At least I tried!"

"And why did you do that, may I ask?"

"For you," he simply answered, to which Lucy just smiled.

xxx

"Well, that was epic!" Cana exclaimed, obviously excited and loving the whole movie she just recently saw. Behind her, Gray and Erza were casually walking and listening to her rambling. But, we couldn't exactly say that for Gray, since he was in a world of his own.

During the time when they were watching the movie, his attention kept on going to a certain scarlet haired girl for reasons he really didn't know. Or maybe he did, but just chose to ignore it. Cana deliberately made him sit in the middle and he most certainly knew that. Throughout the movie there were slight… well, 'interactions', and Gray really felt the tension build up between them. And so, now finally frustrated, he decided to finish what couldn't be done the other day when they were settling in their new house. And so he grabbed the girl's hand and leaned forward, crashing his lips against hers.

Except it wasn't exactly the girl anyone was expecting.

xxx

"So, Juvia, I wanted to tell you something," Lyon started, grabbing the girl's attention as she now looked away from the clothes rack and to him. Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke, deciding that it was the time at last, "I know we haven't exactly known each other for long, but I really like you. And it's more than just in a friend's way, you know. I… I am sorry if you don't feel the same but… I just really want to be with you. So I was wondering, if you wanted – and _only_ if you wanted – maybe we could now officially take our relationship to the next level?"

The girl was, to say the least, absolutely stunned. Juvia knew this was coming, and also about what she had to do. And so, gathering all her courage, she began.

xxx

"When the recording and all is done, you'll be the first to hear it. I really want you to listen to this song since I wrote it and it's mostly based on you."

"Well, I'm glad I helped you write a song," Lucy simply smiled.

"Yeah, me too. And the boys are proud as well. I'll send you the album when it's released, which might take some time. But don't worry; you'll have the first copy."

"That's generous of you."

"No worries, anything for you," the boy smiled, and at that moment in time, Lucy Heartfilia realized something. She has a suspicion of this from before, but it was never confirmed. However, today, the girl finally knew; she was absolutely in love with Natsu. She didn't even want to deny it, since it was such a fantastic feeling. She experienced a bunch of emotions around him, and now she knew that all of those had caused her to develop the strong bond of love, which she was now absolutely sure she felt for him. She would tell these words to him and she would do it now. It wasn't exactly how she expected, since she wanted the moment to be perfect, but she wasn't sure that this feeling of realization would come around again.

"I love you, Natsu," the girl said, smiling and ignoring all the imperfect little things. Like the fact that they were not on the top of the Ferris Wheel, there were no fireworks, a bunch of people were crowding them, there was a lot of litter nearby, and that there was too much noise. But, along with those, she also ignored the tiny factor of him not saying it back.


	30. 30: How To Fix A Relationship

**A/N: I've decided to just do shoutouts :P But since I'm lazy, that'll have to wait till next chapter. But enjoy for now :)**

**Chapter Thirty: How To Fix A Relationship**

"Hey Natsu! I was just thinking that maybe we could go to that park by my house today. I'm really in need of fresh air, and it's quite a soothing place. Let's do it at five, okay? I'll be waiting."

"Hey Natsu! It's been a while since I haven't gotten an answer from you yet so I was wondering that if it's because of Happy, then I'll be more than thrilled if he comes along! See you soon!"

"Hey Natsu! I hope you're getting messages. I'm leaving now so I guess I'll see you there."

"Hey Natsu, where are you? I think it's been about ten or fifteen minutes since I've been waiting. Don't get me wrong; I love kids and seeing them swing in the swing is quite fun but… I'm getting kind of impatient."

"Hey Natsu, I hope you're alright. I just… are you coming? If not, then please tell me. And Gray said you're at home so…? I just want to see you."

"Hey Natsu. It's officially been an hour since I've waited, and it's getting kind of late. Come soon?"

"Hey, Natsu. I just came back home and its 8pm. Um, I hope everything's fine. If needed, I'll come to visit you tomorrow. Next time please just tell me if you're not coming. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at all! I just… I guess I'll see you later. I love you."

Right now, Lucy was absolutely disappointed, but why wouldn't she be? The girl waited hours for her boyfriend to come but alas, he didn't show up. She was upset, but worried even more if something had happened to him. Meanwhile, Natsu Dragneel received every single one of those voicemails. He knew every second that she was waiting for him there, but couldn't do anything about it. He had problems of his own and they were some things he wasn't ready to share with her. At least, not yet.

"Okay, so are you going to stay here sulking all day or are you going to go meet Lucy?" a certain white haired boy asked one of his friends as he plopped down on the couch, sitting with them to see what was going on the television.

"I'm not sulking," the boy simply said.

"Yeah, sure. You know, you should tell her about it. It could save your relationship."

"I don't _want_ to save our relationship."

"Then you want to ruin it?"

"No, I just don't want her to… get a lot of expectations."

"Lame excuse. And what about you Mr. Lead Singer?" Lyon now asked, diverting his attention to Gray as his cousin simply looked at him. "How are you doing with your 'two girls'?"

"Two?" the boy spurted in disbelief.

"Yup. Heard you kissed Cana."

"Is that wrong? We're getting married in three years, you know."

"I didn't say it was wrong. Or maybe it wouldn't have been wrong if you didn't do it in front of Erza."

"So I am banned from showing public displays of affection?"

"Show it with someone you really love."

"What the hell?" Gray now exclaimed, sitting up. "What are you trying to say here, Lyon?"

"What I'm trying to say is that we all know pretty well that you have some feelings for Erza," – in the middle of which Natsu muttered an "I didn't know" – "and so does Cana. What are you trying to show her by kissing your fiancé? That you don't like her? Because I'm pretty sure _I_ don't believe that."

"By the way," Loke spoke up finally, "How do you know about everyone's love lives?"

"Yeah," Gray agreed. "Plus, you're not exactly one to give relationship advice."

"Exactly, seeing how Juvia rejected you," Natsu added.

"I kind of expected it," the boy simply answered, "I'm not blind, you know. She was a bit different and I know when a girl genuinely likes me like that. Anyway, it was still worth a shot."

"What was? The fact that your friendship is now ruined?" Loke asked.

"I didn't ruin our friendship, I saved it," Lyon told him.

"Only in Mr. Vastia's dictionary," Natsu commented.

"Okay, look, if I never confessed to her, she would've never done anything about my feelings and they would always be there. It would be like a barrier to our friendship where she would always think of not making me too expectant. Now that we've cleared out this situation, when we get our friendship back there will be no barriers. She would have nothing to worry about because now she knows I've got the message."

"And you are sure you'll get your friendship back?" Gray asked.

"Yup, and want to know why? It's because I'm leaving for Fairy Hills right now," the boy said, standing up, "While you guys need to go sort out your own problems."

xxx

To say that Juvia Lockser was absolutely shocked to see Lyon Vastia waiting outside of Fairy Hill for her would be an understatement. There isn't an absolute word for how unexpected this visit of his was. But it wasn't like she was exactly sad. They were good friends, which was why a part of her was thrilled to see him, thus the reason of the wide smile on her lips. "Lyon?"

"The one and only," the boy smiled, leaning against the car he recently bought. He was wearing a black jacket, with a white T-shirt beneath it, some dark blue denim jeans and sneakers. It was almost as if he was ready to go somewhere, which truly surprised Juvia.

"What… are you doing here?" the confused girl simply asked.

"Well, you said we cannot date, but you never really said we couldn't be friends."

"I didn't. And that's because I want us to be friends."

"Which is why I'm here, as your friend," he smiled, causing Juvia's grin to get even wider, if that was even possible. "You once told me you'd like to know more about me, if I remember correctly."

"And that's because I do. There's a difference from reading stuff on the internet and hearing it from the person himself."

"Well, I'd like to tell you some things about me. Or, more likely, show. These stuff are not exactly on the internet."

"Then I'd gladly like to see it," Juvia smiled.

"If that's the case, then you don't mind going somewhere with me, right?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Well then, pack your bags because this little trip is going to take at least a day. Since it's the weekends, I assumed you'd be free."

"I completely am."

"Fantastic. I'll drop you off by tomorrow night when we're done visiting the place."

"Sounds fun," Juvia smiled again, now even more interesting. "Where exactly are you taking me, though?"

"Well," Lyon started, now a smile forming in his face as well, "It's where I grew up. I want to show you a lot of stuff there and also a few people. It's Hargeon Town, and we're going there on a road trip."

* * *

**P.S. I'm aware Lyon is not exactly from Hargeon, but I couldn't get any information on where he's from so I decided to go with this since its the closest place to Magnolia. And it is, right?**


	31. 31: Decisions And Changes

**A/N: Sorry, I'm busy, I'll reply to reviews later :(**

.

.

.

**Chapter Thirty One: Decisions and Changes**

"Okay, good news: we'll be there in about half an hour," Lyon declared once he noticed how close they were.

"Great," Juvia smiled, glad to finally reach. "What time is it now?"

"Six. I'm surprised, that's quite early."

"Sure is. So, tell me a bit about this place you grew up in."

"I'd rather show you everything when we get there. Oh, by the way, we'll be staying at someone's house in there, if you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't," the girl simply smiled once more, "but who is it?"

"Long story. But, since the purpose of this is for you to know me better, I guess I can bore you with it."

"Well I'm all up for it!"

"Great," the boy chuckled, before starting, his eyes still obviously on the road, "So it's related with Ur, Gray's mother. Um, well, I never saw my dad and my mom died after giving birth to me. Gray wasn't born then, which was why Ur really took care of me. I was incredibly close with her and it was like she was a second family. Later, when I was one year old, Gray was born, and his dad had died a few months after. But, we still stayed together as a family. I… well; we lived in Hargeon back then, all of us. So, one day, this little girl came, and she was lost. At that time it was Ur who looked after her. She became a part of our family, and we always loved her. Her name was Ultear Milkovich, as she was given Ur's maiden name as her surname. So yeah, it was all good, until a couple of years later when Ur got that, uh, sickness. After she… um, passed away, we stayed in Hargeon for some while until later when, to pursue all of our dreams to become a band, we went to Crocus to meet with Mr. Clive, Cana's dad, and see if he could help, as he did. Ultear, however, stayed as much as we convinced her to come. She wanted to be close to Ur as much as she could, which is why she still stays here."

"Yeah, I've read about her on the internet but couldn't get so much detail."

"Yup. So now you know, right?"

"Yes, I do," Juvia grinned. "So we're going to be staying at your house which is with Ultear?"

"All of our house," Lyon corrected, "But Ultear stays there for now. Yes, that's where we're staying."

"Interesting. Um, by the way, when we get there... Uh, could you just show me where Ur's… grave is?"

"Oh," the boy uttered, slightly surprised at her wish. "Um, I guess, if you really want to."

"Thanks," Juvia smiled, one which he returned.

xxx

"I feel like he's ignoring me," Lucy finally declared.

"Sweetie, I'm sure he's not ignoring you," Mirajane assured her.

"But… I just feel like it. He won't return any of my calls, he won't meet me, and he's apparently always 'busy' when I try to meet him," the blonde explained.

"Wow, he's definitely ignoring you," a certain redhead unintentionally stated.

"Erza!" Levy exclaimed, making the girl realize what she had just done.

"Oh, um, right. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she said, "Maybe you should ask his friends about it?"

"Ask them what, exactly?"

"I don't know, just tell them to try and talk to him, and find out what's wrong since he obviously doesn't want to share it with you."

"He might be hiding something from you," Levy told her friend.

"Yeah," Mirajane agreed, "Maybe his friends know about it."

"But what could it be?" Lucy wondered.

"Maybe he's Gossip Girl," Levy simply stated, "You know, _And who am I? That's one secret you'll never find out._"

"_Xoxo, Gossip Girl,_" Mirajane finished. "Or he could be _A_ from Pretty Little Liars. We still don't know who that is."

"Guys," Lucy interrupted, "I'm being serious here. Can we stop joking?"

"We did help you," Erza told her, "You should really ask his friends. We might find out what the hell is wrong with this guy."

xxx

"I really want to thank you for letting me stay here, Ultear," Juvia told the smiling girl in front of her while unpacking, "I do appreciate it."

"Oh it's perfectly fine," Ultear said, helping her in it. "I enjoy the company, really. The boys don't visit much, you know. They're always busy with their tours, so pictures are my only friends. And maybe the cake shop owner."

Juvia chuckled at that. She was happy to be here, she really was. Knowing about Lyon and his childhood really helped her see him in a new light. He was a great friend of hers and she wanted to know more about this one amazing friend. And she was also glad that they were still friends after what happened between them. She believed that their friendship was now more certain.

"So, where's Lyon?" the girl couldn't help but wonder as she asked the question.

"Ah, no idea. He just went scattering off somewhere and said he would be back soon. He seemed pretty excited, though. But then again, you can't really blame him since it's not that often you see Lyon bringing a girl here."

"Is that so?"

"It sure is. As I said, the boys rarely visit. And when they sometimes do, you sure won't see a female with them. Unless it's Cana, of course."

"She seems pretty close with them."

"She is. Cana's a friendly person, you know, so she sure does socialize a lot. People here know her more than me, believe it or not. But I guess it's a lot because her dad helped everyone here a lot. So did Ur. She had a lot of plans for the development of this town which couldn't happen. And I guess that's why I'm staying here; to fulfill her dreams which she couldn't by herself."

"That's really nice of you."

"Thank you. You know, I really like you."

"Glad to know," Juvia smiled. "So do I."

xxx

"I really think you should stop ignoring her," Loke told his friend.

"I know, but I just… I can't do this," Natsu said, sighing. It wasn't really his fault, but he didn't have any other choice. It was just how it had to be.

"I think she said the L word a bit too early," Gray commented.

"Yeah, I know right," Loke agreed. "But man, look, if you're not going to… well, if you cannot _do this_, then you should just break up with her."

"I have to agree with Loke here, that's probably the best choice right now," Gray said.

"Yes, but it's not like I don't like her. I just don't want to lead her on. I don't want her to have so many expectations and then shatter them all just like that," Natsu explained.

"I think it's a bit too late for that," Gray said.

"But," Loke started, "it's still not _too_ late. You've just got to make a decision, you know. Either stay with her, or leave her for good."

xxx

"I think it's a bit too late for us to be going anywhere," Juvia spoke while trailing behind Lyon, slightly freaked out. It was really dark and she wasn't sure she would be safe going anywhere at this time, even with Lyon by her side.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Lyon assured her, but it was safe to say it wasn't really that affective. Lyon, however, was excited about taking her wherever he was. It had been years since he last came to his hometown so he obviously would be, though.

"Um, where are we going anyway?"

To that question, the boy simply smiled, "Well, that's a secret."


	32. 32: Farewell Gives Hope

**A/N: Well... this is early.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Yesh, weird O.o But I kind of decided that in the middle of the story. And yup, Natsu is kind of being a chicken :P But he has his reasons.**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: :D Well, I'm glad you are at least happy with Lyon! And here's a quick update :)**

**grayzadportgas: Glad you think so! And I cannot possibly reveal that now, but Natsu's secret will be unfolded as time goes.**

**Winter . Waltz: Yes, that wasn't exactly... smart, I guess? Anyway, glad you're happy with Lyon :)**

**mcFinnian: You will, in time :)**

**Medelie: Hehe, in time ;)**

**SnowDragonSlayerTasha: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) The main focus is GrayZa because it is my OTP, but I accept the fact that I have been putting less time in developing the NaLu, seeing a lot of people are eagerly waiting for it. I apologize for it and promise to make it better :) And will they break up? You'll find out soon enough.**

**thunde rider: I did, and once again ;)**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: Glad you think so! And it's going to be explained.**

**fairy lover (Guest): You'll find out :)**

**xXKnightWalkerXx: You don't know how much this means to me. It's glad to know that some people enjoy these cliffhangers :) I mostly think a story without cliffhangers is just bleh, so I have a habit of putting a lot of them :P Glad you're enjoying the story so far!**

**Raikiri80: Thank you :) Hopefully you'll like this chapter too, and I'll try to make the next one more quick.**

**Adorable Reader: You will find it out soon :)**

**NOTE- I was about to respond to a guest, but then I realized there's no need if they are not reading anymore. If you are, however, then I apologize if you didn't like it. It is a GrayZa story, though. And I warned about making Jellal a bit too mean, but I ****_will_**** develop his character. He doesn't play a big role, though.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Thirty Two: Farewell Gives Hope**

"Wow," Juvia simply said as she looked at the view in front of her in awe. There were fireworks, and the night sky made it look so much more amazing that she called herself stupid for not wanting to come at this late. They were in, from what she guessed, a park. There was a pond nearby with the water glistening under the moonlight. It was truly a sight to see, and she was amazed. "I didn't even know Hargeon had a place like this."

"Well, it doesn't… kind of," Lyon replied, to which she looked at him in confusion.

"Actually," he started, "Hargeon has a park that's always… well, how parks usually are, dirty. So I cleaned it up, with help from a few people, and put it together like this. I figured this time of the day would be good for the park to… well, look nice at night, I guess, and the fireworks make it all better."

After he finished explaining, Juvia realized just how much trouble Lyon went through for her. "Oh my God. Um, Lyon, you didn't have to… this wasn't necessary for you to do, you know."

"Yes. But I think I can do this much for my friend, can't I?" he said in return, smiling at her. And that was a smile she returned.

xxx

"Where are you going, again?" the raven haired boy simply asked his fiancé as the girl picked up her suitcase and handbag.

"Back," she replied, "but I'll be in Chicago this time."

"I don't get it, why did they _suddenly_ call you?"

"Careful Gray, I might start to think you'll actually miss me when I'm gone."

"Am I not allowed to?"

"You are. But, you know, with Erza Scarlet here and all, I think you'll have enough entertainment to not worry about me."

"Are we still on that Erza subject?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we are. Anyway, I came to say goodbye. So… goodbye," Cana said, smiling just a bit, before going down the stairs as Gray trailed behind.

"But why _now_?" he asked once again.

"Why? You want me to stay so we can be Frankenstein and his wife for Halloween?"

"That was once, okay? And no, I just want to be with you."

"Sad, because I need to leave. You know, I thought you would be happy," the girl told him.

"Well, you thought wrong, because I'm not."

"I guess I did. Anyway, bye Loke, Natsu, and tell Lyon I said bye when he comes back from vacationing with his girlfriend," Cana said, waving to each one of the boys once she was downstairs.

"Juvia's not his girlfriend," Loke corrected her, "Just a _friend_."

"Friends with benefits?" she asked.

"Nope, just friends," Loke said.

"How boring," Natsu commented.

"It sure is," Cana agreed. "When is he coming back anyway?"

"In a few hours," Loke told her, "After dropping Juvia off."

"I see," the girl said, "Oh, and Natsu, are you breaking up with Lucy?"

"Who the hell told you that?" Natsu, now up from his comfortable position lying down at the couch, exclaimed.

"I did," Gray simply confessed.

"Anyway," Cana said, shrugging it off, "If you are, then don't. Try to work it out this time, okay? I really think you guys can be happy together. One day you need to get over it, so why not today? Just don't be afraid anymore."

"It's not that easy," Natsu said.

"I know, but you'll try if you really care for her," the girl told him and, as much as he hated to admit it, she did have a very good point. "Okay then, bye guys, I'll see you… when Gray asks for me to come. Which, I am betting, is not going to be within the next ten years."

"Okay, that's not true," Gray said, following her outside while the boys simply waved goodbye.

"You can go now," Cana told him as her guards put all her luggage into the car which was waiting.

"Look, is this because of me?" he couldn't help but ask.

"What do you mean?" She was now extremely confused. After all, she was just going back because her director called for it since her co-actor was now fine and ready to shoot.

"What I mean is… this _thing_ with Erza, is that why you're leaving?" Gray asked, just to confirm it. After all, Cana was his childhood friend and they were in a committed relationship. He couldn't just throw that all away for a girl who he cared for. If needed, then he would stop hanging out with Erza to save his relationship with Cana. After all, she was the one who was always there.

"Gray," she started, "That's not it."

"Then why so suddenly? Why _now_?"

"Because of the schedule! Because we're ready to start shooting again. Because of all those things which you have no contribution in," she replied. "Look, I would stay if I could, really, because I love you. But, sadly, there's work. Not everyone gets a six month holiday from theirs, you know."

"Oh, believe me; this is anything but a holiday. Ruining my relationship? Doesn't look like a holiday to me."

"Nothing is getting ruined, Gray," she assured him. "And nothing will. We… we are getting married in three years, aren't we? If we can only stick together till then, everything will be fine."

"I know."

"Then stay with me. Please," she pleaded, "just… be with me. Because I feel like I'm the only one in this relationship, all alone."

"Well, you're not. I love you," he told her, stepping closer and holding her hand now.

"I really hope you do."

"Is it so hard to believe?"

"Now, after everything that's happened lately? Yes," she honestly told him, as he simply sighed. Moving just a little forward, she gave him a small kiss, a simple contact of both of their lips, and then pulled back.

"Bye," she told him, but it came more of as a whisper, giving him one last smile before stepping away and into the car, about to leave.

Gray simply stood there, watching her go. He wanted to save their relationship, he really did. And right now, he could only hope that was possible.


	33. 33: Buried Secrets

**NOTE: I published this long ago, but I mistakenly put chapter twenty three instead. THANK YOU to bella-romeo for pointing that out, my mistake :P**

**A/N: Okay so a lot of you hate Natsu right now, but I just want to ask you to read the coming chapters in his point of view as well. Just try to understand a bit. He has a few problems which will be revealed, and he can't be with Lucy even if he wants to. Yeah so... next chapter will hopefully (key word please) be soon as well :)**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**Raikiri80: Wow, that's an accomplishment. It feels good to hear that :) Yes, Gray and Erza obviously cannot start a relationship by ruining such a strong bond he and Cana hold, so that is going to be an obstacle. And Lucy might just be a part of it all :)**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: You find out about the NaLu part here, but I do hope you understand this is not the ending.**

**bella-romeo: Yes, Lyon sure is :P And wow, it's good to know someone's slightly figured it out, let's hope you're right :) And that's really good to know! I'm glad :)**

**SnowDragonSlayerTasha: This isn't the ending, of course. Don't you think it'll spice things up and maybe, just maybe, give them an even stronger bond later on? However, the next chapter is something that I planned out and you'll understand things there which you might like :)**

**thunde rider: Wow, that's a first. I'm glad you think so! And thrilled you like it :)**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: Glad you're enjoying Lyon :) And yes, Gray is being kind of cowardly, but given the things that have happened lately, would you take Cana's word for it?**

.

.

.

**Chapter Thirty Three: Buried Secrets**

It was normal for Lucy Heartfilia to be nervous. After all, in one's life, there are plenty of times when they are unsure of something and a bit shaken. So, it _was_ normal for her to be nervous when her boyfriend, Natsu, called her the first time in many days to talk. Or was it?

Her friends had suggested for her to talk to his friends, which she unfortunately never got the time to do. But a part of her wasn't even sure it wanted to. These days Natsu had been quite secretive and kept his time apart from her, which caused many suspicions to form in Lucy's mind. Did she do anything wrong? Did she cross any boundaries? Was he upset with her? Was their relationship at risk? Such questions were always what Lucy thought about, but never got a solid answer to. How would she, when he wouldn't pick up any of her calls?

Right now, standing in front of the door to Natsu's bedroom, Lucy simply took a deep breath and calmed herself before knocking. It wasn't a life and death situation, but she was still nervous. That was quite weird for Lucy since she always thought Natsu was the one person she could be free with. Because of him not talking to her for these few days, were they more distant now?

Her thoughts were cut off when the door was opened by Natsu. Once he saw her, he didn't say anything, just nodded and stepped aside which Lucy took as an invitation to come in. He knew what he had to do, even though he didn't want to. He couldn't keep on leading her on, that wouldn't be fair to her at all. If their relationship really was to be saved, then he would have to fix a few things, but they needed to keep their distance till that happened.

"Um, hey," she began, as he simply gave her a tiny smile. "Uh, why did… why did you call?"

"Yeah, about that," he began, "we need to talk."

_Oh no_, Lucy thought to herself. She knew what this meant, she wasn't dumb. Any time someone said 'we need to talk', it was a sign that things were most definitely not going to go well. And so, now leaving behind all her nervousness, Lucy was scared. She was scared to lose Natsu, the one she loved.

"Look, Luce," he continued, "things have been… well, things haven't been going too well for these couple of days. I don't want you to think that I'm ignoring you, because I'm not. It's just that… well, I think we should take some time… apart from each other, you know."

"Natsu, what are you trying to say?"

"I think you know," he told her. "We should… we should just stay away from each other for a while till we sort things out."

"Sort what out?" she exclaimed this time.

"What we both really want," he told her in a quiet tone.

"What? No," she began, "No Natsu, not what we both want. We don't need to take time apart for this because _I_ know what I want. I want to be with you, I want us to have a relationship together. I am certain that this is what I want and I don't need to sort out anything. It's _you_ who has to decide what you really want."

"Well then, we can keep our distance till I figure that out," he answered.

"Why are you so bound on leaving me?" she spoke, now in a very loud tone, almost about to break. "I don't get it, I really don't. Did I do something wrong that you feel like we cannot be together at all?"

"I never said that, I just think we need some time. And no, you did nothing wrong."

"Then what is it? What is the reason for this… this… absurd decision of yours?"

"It is complicated and not something I want to explain right now."

"Why not? What is this… secret of yours that you cannot share with me?"

"It's more like the past."

"Then tell me about it. Don't you trust me enough?"

"This has nothing to do with trust, Lucy," he told her. "It's just… it's not something I can tell you right now, try to understand that. We need some time apart from each other till I figure out my problems, okay? You cannot just keep on following me like a lost puppy till I do so."

"Natsu…"

"No! Look, I…" he sighed, now lowering the tone of his voice, "Just… go, okay? I cannot do this anymore. I thought you would understand but you clearly don't."

"Because I love you!"

"And that's why I'm doing this!" he spoke, and then took some time to explain. "Lucy, I can't… I cannot give you what you want, so you cannot have such high expectations."

"But I only want you; you, beside me, with me."

"And I cannot be beside you, _with_ you. Try to understand, this cannot work out."

"But you still haven't told me why."

"Because I _can't_, Lucy. I just… I can't. Why don't you understand?" At this point, Natsu Dragneel was absolutely frustrated as he turned around, trying to calm himself. She just didn't understand his helplessness. There was a reason he couldn't do this, and she simply refused to understand it at all. She loved him, fine, but she should be able to understand that there was a reason behind his actions. He didn't simply do this because he wanted to, he _couldn't_ be with her. But, as much as he tried to make her understand, she simply wouldn't. And that was why he was absolutely frustrated with Lucy Heartfilia, because she just kept clinging on to something and wouldn't let it go, which in this case, that something was him. His valid reasons and suggestions didn't matter to her at all as she kept on trying to save their relationship. It was a good step, but he was trying to do the same in a way and she should understand it, shouldn't she? There were things he needed to fix, but she just couldn't get that through her mind, and he couldn't make her either.

As Natsu had his back turned to her, trying to calm himself from the frustration, he heard the door open and close behind him as she left. And he could've almost sworn he heard a sniff.


	34. 34: No Regrets

**A/N: Happy Halloween! I don't know about you but its Halloween where I live so... yeah xD Anyway, I won't say much but this: expect another update today which will be a Halloween Special. Honestly, I have no idea what I'll write yet so might not be possible. BUT I'll get working on it :)**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Haha, thanks for being dedicated :P Cana is an awesome character! I love her so much, she's just... epic.**

**Medelie: Maybe, maybe not.**

**Raikiri80: Well, I'm glad I could :) I guess I will put more GrayLu friendship, since I like the idea as well :P Expect it.**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: Well, Natsu has problems of his own and I hope you try to understand that. Anyway, thank you :) Glad you enjoyed the end!**

**thunde rider: Soon enough?**

**SnowDragonSlayerTasha: You're welcome :) And I hope you like the hope for NaLu here!**

**Megamewgirl: Wow, that sucks :P Anyway, I'm glad you can read it now!**

.

.

.

**Chapter Thirty Four: No Regrets**

Lucy Heartfilia had made a decision. After all, it was what he wanted her to do, and so she did. She was sure that she wanted this, she really was. And if he didn't understand that on his own, she would make him.

Lucy couldn't figure out what could be so horrible that Natsu wouldn't tell her about. It was absurd, and she was sure he was out of his mind. She loved him, after all. And he needed to know that.

The door to his room was once again opened by none other than Natsu Dragneel. This time, he gave a small, appreciating glance. He thought she finally understood, and he was glad. After all, there were problems in his life, and he couldn't be together until he got over them. He stepped aside once again as she simply came in, looking slightly angry. At the close of the door, she turned around and started to speak.

"Natsu," she began, "I want you to know that I thought deeply about this in a calm mind, and I realized something." At this point, Natsu was about to give her a smile. He didn't know she was this understanding. "I don't regret it."

And now, he was confused. "Um… regret what?"

"Loving you," she said, causing him to groan.

"I thought we were past that."

"No, we are not. I love you Natsu!"

"And I'm telling you I don't!"

"You don't mean that."

"Really?" he asked, almost losing his temper. "How do you know? _How_ do you know, Lucy? About my feelings, my problems, my helplessness? Let me tell you; you _don't_. And you don't want to either. All you care about is being with me which, by the way, is not possible. Look, I'm trying to get over a few things, and we can see if this can work out once it's done. But you don't understand that, and you don't want to either."

"Well that's true," she told him, "I don't understand any of this! This new behavior, this bunch of problems, all this hatred. I just don't get it!"

"Then try to," he pleaded. "Just… try to get it. Try to understand what I cannot reveal to you now. That'll make things worse."

"I don't care!" she finally spoke, letting out what had been held up inside of her. "I just… I don't care about anything but you, Natsu."

"Well that's just not how the world works! There are other important issues!"

"But to me it's only you. Look, Natsu, I love you. And I don't regret meeting you, no matter what. Because being with you made me realize the meaning of life, love, being oneself. I just… I don't regret anything. And I will not give up on us," she finished, to which Natsu said nothing but made contact with his eyes. And once she was sure he heard it all, she simply left, leaving him alone to think about what had just happened.

xxx

"She's just so frustrating!" the boy screamed aloud, as his partner simply sat on the floor, going through the pile of papers.

A few hours after Lucy left, Natsu decided screaming to himself in his mind wasn't enough, and so he went downstairs when he spotted Gray sitting on the floor, going through their recent fan mails. And so, Natsu picked the person to vent out to. And it had been a while since he did that, while Gray simply read the mails and half listened to his friend drone on and on.

"I just… I just don't get it! _Why_ can't she understand? This… this… ugh! You know, love is a strong feeling, but I'm not ready for it yet, and you know why. You get it, so why can't she?"

"Maybe because you didn't tell her," Gray suggested. "That will probably help her understand better."

"No, it's not the right time."

"Then when is?"

"Never," the boy answered, as his friend sighed.

"Look," Gray began, "its tough… the thing that happened, you know. But even so, _you_ got over it because you are strong enough, Natsu. So maybe, just maybe, you'll be strong as well when you tell her about it. None of us want to remember it, but it happened; it's there. And you need to deal with it just like you have before. So just tell her, no matter what. Isn't it worth it? Isn't _she_ worth it?"

"I know what you're trying to say Gray and I appreciate your concern, but this isn't as easy as it sounds," Natsu told him.

"I know that. Believe me, I do. There were terrible things I had to deal with, but I did. And now that I know it happened, I can speak about it. Like… Ur's death. See? I said it, without difficulty. You should do the same. Because… it's a truth, a thing that happened. I get it; you would've changed things if you could go back, we all would've. But there's no magic wand that can make that happen, so you just need to deal with it. And even though it seems hard, life's easy once you accept the fact."

"I don't need your philosophy," he said, "Just take my side and not hers."

"I am," Gray told him. "I'm just trying to help you, and that is taking your side, isn't it?"

"Can we just change the subject?"

"Sure, if you say so. Oh, that reminds me; Loke discovered this apparent Halloween party and got an invitation."

"Leave it to Loke when it comes to this," Natsu commented.

"Yeah, I know. But it might be fun, so we can go if you want to."

"Is it really smart for us to do that? We might have to stay six more months."

"Hilarious," Gray told him sarcastically. "And I should be the one saying that. Anyway, we all need to cool off. We do have rehearsal tomorrow, and Hilda's sending these people to come around and see us perform afterwards to see if we're still good enough."

"Still good enough?"

"Her words, not mine. Yeah so, I really think we need to attend this. What do you say?"

At that, Natsu gave his friend just a smirk, "I better not regret this."


	35. 35: Too Much Conflict

**A/N: This might be the last chapter in some while since my exams are starting soon and I don't want to cram everything till the last week. Ugh, I swear my chapters keep getting worse. And this is so very late for Halloween. Apologies in advance.**

**SHOUTOUT TIME!**

**bella-romeo: Glad you do! I'm sorry if I'm going to disappoint you with this chapter, I disappointed myself :/**

**Medelie: Haha, thanks! I ****_was_**** extremely happy (and still am!). Thank you to all the amazing people, this story is now the second most reviewed GrayZa story! Talk about awesomeness.**

**Girl with Life Full of Anime: It'll be clear later. I guess that I, myself, am supporting Natsu in this more than Lucy. Maybe I'm just weird, because I always like the male characters more than the females in stories and movies O.o**

**Raikiri80: Apologies again. I don't think this chapter is good enough, with less focus on what everyone has waited for. I'll try my very best to make the next chapter good enough, but for that it'll probably have to be in December.**

**MyCrazyFantasyLand: :D That's fine, glad you took the time to still review!**

**Zummer101: Aw, thank you! That really means a lot :)**

**pinkkoala213: I'm sorry if the wait isn't worth it. I believe it isn't, and I apologize for that.**

**Yuffa (Guest): Glad you enjoy the couple :) I can promise that there will be GrayZa development in the upcoming chapters, but I might not be able to post the next one till long.**

**thunde rider: Here's an update! But it's probably not good enough for cookies.**

.

.

.

**Chapter Thirty Five: Too Much Conflict**

The place was extremely crowded, which was something Natsu Dragneel _wasn't_ told about before coming here. But it wasn't like his friends knew either. Except for Loke, of course. More than half of the people were drunk, and plenty were on the dance floor. It was a costume party for Halloween, and Natsu didn't like that. Especially when he was dressed as a stupid werewolf.

Yes, he found it stupid. Such supernatural creatures didn't exist, and only Twilight fans believed they did. If he was going to dress as one, though, then Gray could've got him clothes Jacob Black wore in the movie, not an actual gross wolf suit which was really uncomfortable, if he had to point out. Nobody could even recognize him! While Gray got his friend this ridiculous costume, he himself was looking great with only a cape and fangs, dressing up as a vampire. Even though Natsu didn't like these mythical creatures, he still always chose werewolf over vampire if he had to. But, now, he envied Gray's vampire suit, and wished to be one himself.

"Isn't this epic?" Loke screamed out to them so they could hear him, since the music blasting from the speakers everywhere was incredibly loud. He was most certainly enjoying this, no doubt. After all, this was Loke we were talking about, wasn't it?

It was at that time that Gray's phone rang for the fifth time, and he heard it for the first time. Taking it out, through not much difficulty, he accepted the call after looking at the caller ID. "So you finally remember me after so many months?"

"I— fau— ou— nt— ca— ften—" came some gibberish from the other line. At least, that was what Gray heard, which was why he had to block his ears and tell her to speak again. Still having no luck, he decided to just go outside and try. And so, getting squeezed between a bunch of people, trying to walk, and finally being thrown out the door, he breathed in relief.

"Okay," he told the person on the other line, "now talk."

"Are you at a party, Gray?" his sister asked. "You shouldn't be. You might be stuck there for a year."

"Ultear, _please_ don't tell me you called for a lecture," he groaned.

"Well, kind of. Why are you there anyway?"

"Loke wanted to enjoy Halloween, we had to get Natsu out of his gloominess because that's just so not the crazy Natsu everyone knows, and this was also a good opportunity to set Lyon up with someone," Gray answered.

"Huh?" Ultear said, now a bit confused. "Wait a second, isn't Lyon dating Juvia?"

"Who the hell told you that?"

"I just… assumed it since they were so friendly when they came here."

"Well, they are not dating. He liked her, asked her out, but Juvia rejected him."

"Oh, that's sad," the girl spoke in a quieter tone.

"Well, it's not something you should worry about, since we're sure we'll be getting him someone today," Gray assured his sister.

"Did you at least ask Lyon?"

"Ask him what?"

"If he's ready to move on yet or not?"

"Oh, trust me, he's more than ready. He keeps going on and on about how he and Juvia are just friends now and how their friendship is even 'stronger' and all. So, since he accepts her a lot as a friend now, I don't think that's a question we need to worry about."

"Still, you should at least ask him," Ultear told her brother again.

"I know what the answer will be," Gray said, "he'll refuse. That's because he thinks it's not time for him to move on yet, but it is. He cannot just be like Natsu, clinging on to the past. We need both of them to get over it, and this is a great opportunity for that."

"I know, but shouldn't you at least as–"

"Ultear," he cut her off, "trust me, we know what we're doing."

"Oh, I really hope you do."

xxx

"Okay, both of you," Loke finally spoke to his two friends who were sulking in a couch, "snap out of it!"

"Out of what?" Natsu asked, in a bored tone.

"Your problems," Loke replied. "We're at a party, _enjoy_. E-N-J-O-Y."

"I know how it's spelled," Lyon told him, "and we _are_ enjoying."

"Yeah, that shows," Gray commented.

"Anyway, look here," Loke told them again, "you two just need to get over whatever you have going on. Natsu, either leave Lucy or be with her. It's not a hard decision, just choose. And Lyon, Juvia rejected you; don't try to win her by being her friend. Just get a new girl, she definitely doesn't want you."

"Harsh," Gray commented once again.

"So that was the plan?" Natsu asked. "This was all to… well, _help us_, if that's what you would call it?"

"We don't need help," Lyon told his two friends.

"Well then, prove it," Gray challenged.

"And how could we possibly do that?" the pink haired boy spoke up.

"It's possible," Loke began, "as I said earlier, _enjoy_. And I'm sure you know how."


End file.
